Pasta is the perfect main dish or side for any meal.
Nothing beats a good pasta!
Pasta is very versatile. You can create thousands of different pasta dishes by adding a variety of vegetables, cheeses, meats, and sauces.
To select and prepare the perfect pasta you should use about 4-5 quarts of water in a large pot per pound of pasta.
Bring the water to a boil and add pasta, stirring with a spoon or wooden fork to prevent sticking.
Pasta should be cooked “al dente”, it should be slightly undercooked for the best texture and flavor.
Place hot pasta in a warm serving bowl, toss with sauce and serve immediately.
Dried pasta takes longer to cook than fresh pasta.
Immediately drain cooked pasta and only rinse if it is being used in a salad or baked casserole.
Slightly under cook the pasta when it is being used in baked casseroles.
Hearty meat and vegetables sauces are great with rotelle or penne pasta.
Simple tomato or light cheese sauces are perfect for spaghetti, vermicelli, capellini, or angel hair pasta.
Fettuccine or linguine are perfect choices for cream or seafood sauces.
Jumbo shells or cannelloni are designed to be stuffed with cheese or vegetable fillings.
Elbow macaroni, ditalini, orzo, or rotini are great additions to soups or baked pasta dishes.
With the proper information you can always pick the perfect pasta with confidence.
