Hy-Vee Recipes and Ideas

Directions

1. Step1
   Don't put oil in the water. The only thing this does is make your pasta oily, which will prevent sauce from sticking to the pasta. It will not keep noodles from sticking together.
2. Step2
   Do add salt! A good pinch of salt will help your pasta taste that much better.
3. Step3
   Don't dump pasta in the water and walk away. Be sure to give a couple of good stirs early in the cooking process to ensure that noodles won't stick together. If you just pour the noodles into boiling water and leave them, they will clump together and cook unevenly.
4. Step4
   Don't allow the pasta to cook all the way. Whether you're making your own sauce or heating up your favorite jarred sauce, you should remove the pasta 1 to 2 minutes before the time listed on the box and let the pasta cook in the sauce for the last few minutes. Hot pasta generally absorbs more of the sauce.
5. Step5
   Don't rinse your pasta. Similar to the above tip, there's no need to rinse and drain your pasta. Lift the noodles into the sauce, as we mentioned before, and use the starchy water to help thicken the sauce. It's full of starch from the pasta, so it's a great addition to homemade sauces or perfect for pasta dishes that just call for a light olive oil and fresh lemon sauce.
6. Step6
   Easy no-recipe recipe for busy nights: Heat some garlic olive oil in a large skillet and toss in hot pasta with some of the cooking water. Using tongs, toss everything together until a sauce forms. Remove from heat and add some grilled chicken, cubes of fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and torn fresh basil leaves. Sprinkle with fresh lemon and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.