Why Saving Your Pasta Water Is a Step You Seriously Shouldn’t Skip

Cooking dry pasta is one of the easiest, most self-explanatory techniques of any cuisine. Even the most novice home cook can handle it. (Especially when it’s a step in one of our easiest pasta recipes!) However, this notoriously easy task has more tricks than you thought—and saving the pasta water is one of them. Though it’s often one of the most forgotten steps.

Pasta water is the leftover liquid after the pasta has been cooked, and it’s filled with starchy, salty goodness. Although it may look murky and dirty, this stuff is the key to a successful sauce, and to a beautiful pasta dish.

What to Do with Pasta Water

After your pasta is done cooking, remove it from the pot using tongs or a pasta fork so your water is left in the bottom of the pan. That way you can save as much or as little of the water as you want. I like to reserve about a cup of water per pot of pasta.

Next, add the sauce to the pot of water and stir, then add the pasta. The starch content adds a silky richness to your sauce and the salt content lends extra flavor.

The starch also acts as a thickening agent. This trick is what separates average pasta dishes from the delightful, complex dishes at your favorite Italian restaurant. It’s perfect for simple sauces like cacio e pepe, and is even better in slow-simmered meaty ragu.

Try This Trick with Nonna's Best Pasta Sauce Recipes

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Stamp-of-Approval Spaghetti Sauce

My father is very opinionated, especially about food. This recipe received his almost unreachable stamp of approval. I have yet to hear a disagreement from anyone who has tried it! —Melissa Taylor, Higley, Arizona

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Broccoli Shrimp Alfredo

After tasting fettuccine Alfredo at a restaurant, I tried to duplicate the recipe at home. You can't imagine how pleased I was when I came up with this delicious version. Not only does my family love the creamy dish, but my husband prefers it to the one at the restaurant. —Rae Natoli, Kingston, New York

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Mushroom Bolognese with Whole Wheat Pasta

A traditional Bolognese sauce is meat-based with everything from pork to pancetta. Skipping the meat, I loaded this pasta dish with baby portobellos and veggies. —Amber Massey, Argyle, Texas

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Penne alla Vodka

This easy and impressive pasta is always on the menu when my husband and I have new friends over for dinner. Years later, they've asked me to make it again. —Cara Langer, Overland Park, Kansas

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Spaghetti Meatball Supper

It was such a joy to come home and find my mom making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. This recipe has always been dear to my heart. —Debbie Heggie, Laramie, Wyoming

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Meat Sauce for Spaghetti

Here's a thick, hearty sauce that turns ordinary spaghetti and garlic bread into a filling feast. When I'm in a hurry, I make this slow cooker recipe in an electric frying pan instead. —Mary Tallman, Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin

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Basil and Parsley Pesto

Toss this herby pesto with pasta, spread it over sandwiches or stir it into an Italian-style soup, like minestrone. —Lorraine Fina Stevenski, Land O’ Lakes, Florida

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Chunky Chicken Cacciatore

This recipe is so versatile! Look in your fridge for anything else you want to throw in, like red pepper, mushrooms, extra zucchini—you name it. And if you're a vegetarian, go ahead and leave out the chicken. —Stephanie Loaiza, Layton, Utah

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Creamy Sausage-Mushroom Rigatoni

In Rome, we dined near the Pantheon. The amazing restaurant is now history, but its memory lives on in this tasty pasta with mushrooms and sausage. —Barbara Roozrokh, Brookfield, Wisconsin

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Sage & Browned Butter Ravioli

After enjoying a similar dish in Italy, we came home and planted sage in our garden to be sure we could recreate it. This quick and easy dinner always brings back fond memories of our trip. —Rhonda Hamilton, Portsmouth, Ohio

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Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce

DIY canning spaghetti sauce recipes are a tomato-grower's dream come true! Use up your garden bounty and enjoy it later in the year. —Tonya Branham, Mt. Olive, Alabama

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Homemade Meatless Spaghetti Sauce

When my tomatoes ripen, the first things I make are BLTs and this homemade spaghetti sauce. —Sondra Bergy, Lowell, Michigan

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Red Clam Sauce

This recipe tastes like it’s taken you all day to make. Instead, it cooks while you take care of other things. What a great way to jazz up pasta sauce! —JoAnn Brown, LaTrobe, Pennsylvania

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Pizza-Flavored Pasta Sauce

I’ve been cooking since I was 6 years old and I’m always watching for recipes my friends and family will love. So when I tasted an unforgettable spaghetti sauce at a local restaurant, I just had to make my own version. —Angelina Falzarano, Midlothian, Texas

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