Giada De Laurentiis' Tips For Making Pasta Sauce Stick To Noodles Like A Pro

Pasta is a comfort food that always hits the spot, whether you're enjoying it with carbonara, bolognese, or classic Alfredo sauce. Not only is it quick to make, but it's also super simple once you master a few essential pasta cooking hacks. However, one common frustration with pasta dishes is when the sauce pools at the bottom instead of sticking to your noodles. Luckily, Giada De Laurentiis has a few expert tips to ensure every bite of pasta is perfectly coated.

Her first tip may be a controversial one: Don't add any oil to your boiling pasta water. You might have been taught that the oil will prevent the pasta from sticking together, but doing this has the potential to ruin your pasta dish every time. De Laurentiis explains that it essentially creates a slippery coating on your pasta, making it impossible for your sauce to adhere properly. If you're worried your pasta will stick together without the oil, stir it often while cooking. Using plenty of water to boil it and a large pot also helps.

Giada De Laurentiis also advises against rinsing your pasta after cooking. Cooked pasta is full of starch, which acts as a glue and helps your sauce cling to your noodles. It brings all of the elements of your dish together while also adding a deeper layer of flavor and lots of creaminess. This is why adding starchy pasta water back into the sauce is so common — it helps the sauce cling to the noodles and also emulsifies any oil-based sauces. 

De Laurentiis has another absolutely genius piece of advice that involves when and how to add the cheese. Once you've added your cooked pasta to the pot of sauce, sprinkle your cheese directly on top of the hot pasta before stirring everything together. This ensures that the slightly melted cheese will stick to the pasta while also sticking to the sauce — so you have a perfectly cohesive and flavorful dish. Thanks to De Laurentiis' tips, getting perfectly coated pasta is practically guaranteed.