NowIKnowEditorial

Food & drink

How to Boil Pasta and Make a Quick Sauce

Cook pasta so it’s tender, save a little cooking water, and toss it with a simple sauce for a fast, comforting meal.

10 clear steps·Illustrated guide
A pot of boiling pasta beside a skillet with garlic in oil, and a ladle lifting starchy pasta water.
  1. 01

    Set up your tools and ingredients

    Place a large pot and a colander by the sink, and set a skillet next to the pot on the stove. Gather dried pasta, salt, olive oil, garlic, optional red pepper flakes, lemon, herbs, and grated hard cheese. Have tongs or a pasta fork, a wooden spoon, and a heat-safe measuring cup ready.

    Pot, skillet, and colander arranged with garlic, herbs, lemon, and utensils on a stove and counter.
  2. 02

    Bring plenty of water to a rolling boil

    Fill the pot with enough water for the pasta to move freely, leaving space at the top so it won’t boil over. Cover and heat on high until the water reaches a lively, rolling boil with lots of movement.

    Large pot at a rolling boil on the stove with steam rising.
  3. 03

    Season the water with salt

    Uncover the pot and add salt so the water tastes well seasoned. Stir to dissolve and bring the water back to a full boil. Salting now gives the pasta better flavor from the inside out.

    Hand sprinkling salt into a pot of boiling water.
  4. 04

    Add pasta and keep it moving

    Tip in the dried pasta and immediately stir for about a minute to keep pieces from sticking. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady boil without foam spilling over, and stir occasionally as it cooks.

    Dried pasta going into a boiling pot while a spoon stirs.
  5. 05

    Start a quick garlic-and-oil base

    While the pasta cooks, warm a thin layer of olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add sliced or minced garlic and cook, stirring, until just fragrant and pale golden. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes if you like. If the garlic darkens, lower the heat or pull the pan off the burner.

    Garlic gently cooking in olive oil in a skillet.
  6. 06

    Check pasta doneness and save some water

    Use the package time as a guide, but start tasting a little early. When the pasta is tender with a slight bite in the center, dip out a cup of the cloudy cooking water using a heat-safe cup or ladle.

    Scooping starchy pasta water from the pot while checking a pasta strand.
  7. 07

    Drain or transfer the pasta

    Drain the pasta quickly in a colander, or lift it straight from the pot into the skillet with tongs so a little water clings. Keep the skillet over low heat so the pasta meets the warm garlic oil right away.

    Pasta moving from the boiling pot into a skillet, with a colander nearby.
  8. 08

    Create a silky sauce with pasta water

    Splash in some of the reserved pasta water and toss or stir vigorously. The starch in the water helps the oil cling to the pasta. Add small amounts of water as needed until each piece looks lightly and evenly coated, not soupy.

    Adding reserved pasta water to pasta in a skillet while tossing.
  9. 09

    Balance and finish the flavors

    Taste and adjust salt, then add black pepper, lemon zest or a squeeze of juice, and chopped herbs if you like. A light shower of grated hard cheese can melt in off the heat. Toss to combine until glossy.

    Finishing pasta with herbs, lemon, pepper, and grated cheese.
  10. 10

    Serve and handle leftovers

    Serve the pasta right away in warm bowls. If you have leftovers, cool them promptly in a shallow container, refrigerate, and reheat gently with a spoonful of water to loosen the sauce.

    Bowls of freshly served pasta and a small container being covered for storage.

If this was useful

Try one of these next