Ingredients
- 2.25 L (10 cups) water
- 8 oz (224 g) spaghetti
- 2.5 cups (24 oz) pasta sauce (optional but recommended)
- Salt (optional but recommended)
- Vegetable oil (optional but recommended)
Make it step by step
- On a stovetop, bring the water to a boil on high heat after adding salt and vegetable oil (see tips below).
- Reduce heat to medium and add the pasta.
- While the spaghetti is cooking, pour desired amount of sauce into pan and set stove to medium.
- Set a timer for 7 minutes. When the timer goes off, fish out a strand of spaghetti and bite into it. What you're going for here is al dente, meaning that the pasta is just soft enough to eat: no longer crunchy in the middle, and not mushy and over-done. A more traditional (but messy) way to see if the spaghetti is done is to throw some strands onto a wall. If they stick to the wall, then the pasta is ready to eat.
- When the sauce begins to bubble, reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cover.
- Once the pasta is ready, carefully drain it through a colander into a sink.
- Serve sauce over pasta in bowls.
Nutrition and portions
Nutrition estimates and Zone blocks are not available for this recipe.
Ingredient substitutions and portion changes need a new calculation.
Recipe source
Adapted from Wikibooks Cookbook by Wikibooks contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting adapted; listed quantities and instructions are retained from the source.
Contributor history and attribution
Cook times in the method are source guidance, not a record of testing in our kitchen. Check food temperatures and ingredient labels when cooking.