Bachelor food essentials! If you don’t eat pasta as a meal at least once per week you’re either on some sort of wacky diet or just not being frugal enough. A good pasta will fill you up and if prepared correctly will be delicious as well. (If you were looking for a recipe for your own fresh homemade pasta, then we have that too.)
Pasta Ingredients
Well, really, just pasta. Salt is optional.
How to Cook Pasta
Fill a large pot with water. By large pot I mean the largest pot you have.
There’s no way to cook pasta in too much water – but you can really make it awful when you use too little. You can add salt as well, which many people believe improves the flavour of the end product.
Bring the water to a boil.
Add the pasta to the boiling water while stirring. Stirring prevents it all from sticking to the pot. Pasta sticking to the pot is a clean-up nightmare.
Cook the whole thing for between 5 and 12 minutes depending on the type of pasta. When it doubt, check the specific type’s directions. Under-cooked pasta isn’t perfect, but overcooked pasta is awful. If you’re not sure if it’s done just grab a piece with a pair of tongs or a fork and taste it. It’s done when it’s firm and still not gross.
Drain the pasta into a colander in the kitchen sink. Shake it around a bit to remove excess water.
Pasta Cooking Tips
Add sauce and eat too much.
When measuring out the amount of pasta keep in mind that the transition from dry pasta to cooked pasta basically has it doubling in size as your pasta absorbs water during the cooking process. A handful is usually enough for a meal for one and a couple handfuls for a group.
But seriously, you can add a jar of Ragu pasta sauce but that’s certainly not the way to go.
To actually enjoy your dinner you should make the pasta sauce yourself. Two options include: