What to Make With Pasta

Cook 8 ounces of spaghetti in well-salted water until just shy of al dente. While it cooks, toast 2 teaspoons of cracked black pepper in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute, until it smells sharp and spicy.

Add 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water to the skillet, then the drained pasta and 1 cup of finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, off the heat. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese melts into a glossy sauce, adding pasta water a splash at a time if it looks dry. The one rule: keep the pan off the heat while you add the cheese, or it clumps instead of melting.

Cook 8 ounces of spaghetti until al dente. Meanwhile, warm 1/3 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat and cook 6 thinly sliced garlic cloves with a pinch of red pepper flakes for 3 to 4 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold and smells sweet.

In a separate dry pan, toast 1/2 cup of fresh breadcrumbs over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until golden. Toss the drained pasta with the garlic oil, top with the breadcrumbs, and finish with chopped parsley if you have it. The critical detail: pale gold, not brown — browned garlic turns bitter and there's no fixing it.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves for 1 minute until fragrant but not browned. Add one 14-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, and salt, then simmer 10 to 12 minutes until the sauce thickens and the raw tomato edge is gone.

Cook 8 ounces of pasta 2 minutes less than the package says, then move it into the sauce with 1/2 cup of pasta water. Finish it in the sauce for 2 minutes, tossing, until the pasta is done and the sauce clings to it. Finishing the pasta in the sauce is the trick — the starch it releases thickens the sauce so it coats instead of pooling.

Cook 8 ounces of penne or fusilli until al dente, saving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain one 5-ounce can of tuna and break it into chunks in a big bowl with 2 tablespoons of capers, the zest and juice of half a lemon, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Add the hot pasta straight into the bowl and toss for 1 minute, adding pasta water a splash at a time until the tuna mixture loosens into a light, glossy coating. The pasta water is what makes this work — it turns the tuna's own oil into a sauce instead of leaving dry flakes on dry pasta. Season with black pepper and parsley.

Cold leftover pasta that nobody wants to eat plain is perfect for a frittata. Beat 6 eggs with 1/2 cup of grated cheese, salt, and pepper. Warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat, spread 2 cups of leftover cooked pasta in an even layer, and pour the eggs over. Stir once so the pasta is coated, then let it cook undisturbed.

Cover the skillet and cook 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat, until the edges are set and the center is nearly firm — a knife in the middle should come out with no runny egg, about 160°F. Uncover, broil 2 minutes to brown the top if your skillet allows, then slide it out and cut into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature; it's good cold the next day too.

Dry pasta keeps for a very long time — up to 2 years in a cool, dry pantry, sealed or in its original box, before the quality starts to fade. It doesn't become unsafe, just more likely to taste flat.

Cooked pasta is a different story. Refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking, in an airtight container, and eat it within 3 to 4 days. Reheat it with a splash of water or sauce over medium heat so it steams back to life instead of drying out; leftover pasta makes great fried noodles the next day too.