How long does pasta take to cook?

Are you that person that cooks your pasta for exactly 15 minutes every time? Or perhaps you just wait and see, give it a few stirs and occasionally take a piece out to see whether it is still chewy.

We asked Head Chef Guini, for his top tips to make sure that every time you cook pasta, it is cooked to perfection!

Step one - Choose your pasta

There are approximately 350 different types of pasta and probably four times as many different names for them! All our pasta comes from Italy, even though there are cheaper alternatives from other countries - Italian pasta is the best!

We use a number of different pasta types at Casa Bella that complement our sauces.

Spaghetti - one of the most popular pasta types in the world. It’s thin noodles are naturally best paired with a bolognaise sauce but it’s equally good with just garlic and olive oil.

Tagliatelli - long and ribbon-shaped pasta, it pairs well with chunky sauces as it makes it easier to handle once on the table. We pair tagliatelli with our smoked salmon carbonara with asparagus.

Penne - a round, tube-like structure with diagonal cuts at each end. Best served in dishes that have a relatively thick, creamy sauce. We use penne for our Pollo Alla Diavolo but it’s also good for pasta bake dishes as it holds the sauce well.

Lasagne - These are thin sheets of pasta which are often used in oven-baked dishes such as lasagne al forno or our mushroom lasagne.

Step two - Choose how you would like to cook it

Al dente, Italian for ‘to the tooth’ is the only way to cook pasta. Essentially it means that the pasta has been cooked just enough so that it is neither hard or soft but is firm and slightly chewy.

Firstly bring the water to the boil in a large pot or pan, add your pasta, and a pinch of salt.

It’s important to give regular stirs of your pasta to ensure that none of it sticks together or to the side of the pan.

Dried pasta should be cooked anywhere from 8-10 minutes depending upon the type. However, fresh may only need to boil for 1-3 minutes.

Gianni cooks so much pasta he knows by instinct whether ours is ready or not, but his advice is to taste test! Then you can take it out when it is either al dente or slightly longer, depending upon your preference.

Step three - Enjoy!

Alternatively, why not take the night off cooking and treat yourself to some of our pasta dishes. From Pasta Con Spinici to Beef Lasagne, Seafood Pomodoro and Bolognese, we have something delicious for everyone!