Pasta is one of the most popular foods around the world. It is so popular that there must be hundreds of pasta recipes out there. The great thing about pasta is, generally, it is very easy to prepare. You can cook a simple yet delicious pasta recipe in less than 30 minutes.

As you know, a pasta dish has two parts – the pasta noodle and the sauce. You can have great sauce but if the noodles are soggy, dry, stuck together, undercooked and etcetera, then that ruins the dish. When it comes to cooking al dente pasta noodles, here are some things you need to keep in mind:

• Cook the pasta in a pot that is large enough to allow you to stir the noodles around in the water easily. If the pot is too small it will not hold enough water to cook the pasta, which will leave the noodles sticking to the pot. The pasta may also end up getting burned.
  

• Boil plenty of water to cook the pasta. It is also equally important to make sure that the water is already boiling before you add in the noodles to keep them from getting mushy. In fact, what you are looking for is a “rolling boil” when there are continuous bubbles in the water even when you stir it. As soon as you add the pasta, give it a good stir so the noodles will not stick together. Also, keep the water in a boil until the noodles are cooked.
  

• Adding 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and some salt to the boiling water will help prevent the noodles from sticking together, keep them firm and enhance their flavor.

• Pasta cooks fast so be sure to check often if it is done. You can do this by simply tasting the pasta. The cooking time varies with different types of pasta so always read the cooking instructions in the package. The noodles will become too soft if you leave it in boiling water for even a couple of minutes longer than you should so consider using a timer.
  

• Perfect pasta is served warm so cook it just before meal time. Make the sauce first then cook the pasta. Keep the pasta warm by serving it in a hot bowl. To heat a serving bowl, place it under the colander when you strain the cooked pasta so it catches the boiling water. After draining the pasta, empty the serving bowl of the hot water and use it to serve the pasta.

You can serve pasta in several ways. You can stir it into the pan of sauce and serve the sauced pasta immediately in bowls or plates. Optionally, you can serve the pasta and the sauce in separate bowls or serve the pasta on plates with warm sauce on top.

Now that you know how to cook pasta noodles, we go to the sauce. Perfectly-cooked pasta is not enough if there is something wrong with the sauce. While you can always buy canned or packed pasta sauces, nothing beats freshly-made sauce. There is a vast selection of sauce recipes for pasta from the classic ones like Bolognese, Carbonara, Alfredo Sauce, Puttanesca and Pesto to more experimental sauces with non-traditional ingredients like squash, eggs, crabmeat and others.

Indeed, pasta is very versatile. Aside from the traditional pasta and sauce dishes, there are other ways to cook pasta. There are baked pastas, stuffed pastas, pasta salads, pasta soups and even pasta desserts. For your convenience, stock up on the common ingredients used in cooking pasta like olive oil, olives, cheeses, garlic, tomatoes, Parma ham (prosciutto), sausages, basil and other herbs so you can easily prepare a pasta dish whenever you feel like it.