When you're looking for easy pasta recipes, you might not think that there's anything intrinsically difficult about cooking the pasta itself. You might worry more about the complexity of the sauces or perhaps the more difficult work to create the accompanying meat recipes. But there are a few things about cooking pasta that can make it turn out less than perfect if you don't do them right, so even those initial basic steps need to be given proper attention if you want a perfect pasta meal.
To make any pasta meal, whether using easy or more involved pasta recipes, you always must get the pasta to the right consistency by beginning the same way. Provide enough water for the pasta to "swim" in, so it won't stick, and also to expand to about twice the size it is when dry. Salting the water will help it taste good, without adding excessive amounts of salt to your diet.
Put the pasta into boiling water and stir for the first few moments, again to prevent sticking, and cook at a gentle boil for the amount of time indicated on the package. A quick and easy way to tell when it's done is to bite a piece; it should be tender, but firm enough that it's not totally limp.
Next consider size, shape and types of pasta. If you're creating pasta dishes from stuffed pasta like tortellini or ravioli, then you'll want a light sauce so the ingredients inside the pasta aren't drowned out. Big and heavy pasta like lasagna noodles will take a much heavier type of sauce than fine pasta like vermicelli, which works better with lighter, creamier sauces. You can improvise some easy pasta recipes simply by learning which sauces work best with which pasta types.
Easy pasta recipes can be made unnecessarily more difficult if you haven't mastered the basics, like cooking the pasta properly and matching the different pastas with the right kinds of sauces. You might follow all the recipe instructions to the letter, but if you've missed out on one of these fairly simple points, the final dish may be less than perfect. Learning to do things the right way at every step of the process will make the entire recipe much easier.
To make any pasta meal, whether using easy or more involved pasta recipes, you always must get the pasta to the right consistency by beginning the same way. Provide enough water for the pasta to "swim" in, so it won't stick, and also to expand to about twice the size it is when dry. Salting the water will help it taste good, without adding excessive amounts of salt to your diet.
Put the pasta into boiling water and stir for the first few moments, again to prevent sticking, and cook at a gentle boil for the amount of time indicated on the package. A quick and easy way to tell when it's done is to bite a piece; it should be tender, but firm enough that it's not totally limp.
Next consider size, shape and types of pasta. If you're creating pasta dishes from stuffed pasta like tortellini or ravioli, then you'll want a light sauce so the ingredients inside the pasta aren't drowned out. Big and heavy pasta like lasagna noodles will take a much heavier type of sauce than fine pasta like vermicelli, which works better with lighter, creamier sauces. You can improvise some easy pasta recipes simply by learning which sauces work best with which pasta types.
Easy pasta recipes can be made unnecessarily more difficult if you haven't mastered the basics, like cooking the pasta properly and matching the different pastas with the right kinds of sauces. You might follow all the recipe instructions to the letter, but if you've missed out on one of these fairly simple points, the final dish may be less than perfect. Learning to do things the right way at every step of the process will make the entire recipe much easier.
About the Author:
For true pasta lovers, nothing beats the flavor and feel of pasta made from scratch. Making your own pasta doesn't have to be hard; you can even buy an electric pasta roller to speed up the process. Click here to find out more about a pasta rolling machine that's right for you.
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