Pasta is an easy weeknight dinner, so it's no wonder it's a popular addition to the weekly dinner menu. But while cooking pasta is easy, it's also pretty easy to end up with pasta that sticks together and clumps.
34 Perfect Pasta Recipes You'll Want to Make for Dinner Tonight (and Every Night)
Fortunately, there's no special tricks or skills you need to getting your pasta perfect every time. Check out our tips to help keep your pasta from sticking the next time you cook it.
Use a big pot and a lot of water
Boil at least four to six quarts of water for every pound of pasta to properly cook them. If you use too little water and too little space, the individual noodles won't have room to separate from each other for proper cooking, and the pasta water will become too starchy, making a clumpy mess all but certain.
Wait until the pasta water really boils
If you're the kind of person who throws the pasta in the second a bubble forms in the heated water (guilty!) you're likely setting yourself up for mushy or sticky pasta. That's because the pasta stays in the water longer than it should, and the pasta itself takes on more water, leaving you with a mushy, sticky mess.
20+ Types of Pasta Noodles Everyone Should Know
Generously salt the pasta water
Salting the water does more than just flavor your pasta. It can help keep the starches in your pasta from gelling together, reducing the risk of your pasta sticking. Aim to put a tablespoon or two of salt for every quart of water—which is about a quarter or half cup of salt for a pound of pasta. You'll want to put the salt in as soon as your water boils.
Stir your pasta often
It's kind of a no brainer, but stirring the pasta helps keep the noodles moving and breaks up sticky spots before they become full-on clumps. But you don't have to sit over the pot and stir constantly. Aim to stir the pasta fully within the first two minutes of cooking, then another time or two while the pasta cooks.
Just say no to oil or butter
Some cooks swear by adding oil or butter to the cooking water or to the freshly drained pasta to help avoid sticking. But unless you're making a pasta dish that has a simple finish (such as a pasta paired with olive oil and spices), the oil or butter could it hard for your sauce to cling to your noodles.
Here's How to Cook Spaghetti and Other Pasta Like a Professional Chef
Stop as soon as your pasta is at the right texture
Generally, the package of noodles will give you a few-minute window when the pasta will be done, so set your timer according to that. (You may want to shave a few minutes off of the cook time if your pasta will be used in a dish that requires further cooking, like a baked ziti or other baked dish, as the pasta will soften further as it cooks.)
The best way to test for pasta doneness is to actually bite into a noodle. If it's "al dente," which means "to the tooth" in Italian and that the pasta still has some firmness to it when you bite it. (We're not talking about actual crunch—you want that happy medium between too crunchy and too mushy.) That's when you drain the pasta and add the sauce.
Don't cook it beyond the recommended time, as the pasta will become mushy, the water will become starchy, and you're likely to end up with sticky pasta.
As you're draining, keep a cup or two of pasta water in reserve. You can add a little of that to your pasta sauce if it's too thick or isn't sticking to your noodles.
Don't let the pasta sit in the colander too long
Aim to have your sauce ready at the same time (or ideally, a few minutes before the pasta is ready), so you can sauce the pasta as soon as it's cooked. If you leave your pasta to cool too long, the starch residue on your noodles can start to stick together—and you'll have a hard time breaking them apart for a smooth pasta dish.
Don't rinse your pasta
Rinsing it can remove the starch that makes your pasta sticky, but it also cools off your pasta and makes it hard for the sauce to stick to your pasta, too. Skip the rinse!
