If you use a pot that’s too small, your pasta is more likely to clump together as it cooks.
Covering the pot with a lid will make the water boil faster.
The salt will season the noodles as they cook, which will give you flavorful pasta. If you’re unsure how many servings of pasta to cook, check the side of the box for recommended serving sizes.
Thin pasta, such as angel hair, will cook faster than thick or long noodles, such as fettuccine or penne, which take closer to 8 or 9 minutes.
If the water looks like it might boil over the sides of the pot, turn the burner down to medium-high.
If the pasta is still too hard for your liking, boil it for another minute before checking it again.
You can also use a ladle to spoon 1 cup (240 ml) of the pasta water into a mug instead of lowering the mug into the water.
If the sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta water you reserved until the sauce loosens and coats the pasta.
To serve this as cold pasta salad, refrigerate the pasta for at least 1 hour before you serve it so the flavors can develop. If you don’t like the taste of traditional pesto, give sun-dried tomato pesto a chance. It has a more mellow flavor that works well with rich cheese, such as parmesan.
Play around with using different cheeses to find what you like. For example, use monterey jack, feta, mozzarella, or smoked gouda.
Remember to thin the pasta with a little reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
For a slightly lighter sauce, melt butter with garlic and parsley. Then, toss the noodles in the simple sauce.
