How to Cook Whole-Grain Pasta - KNEP - Kentucky Nutrition Education Program

Recipes

How to Cook Whole-Grain Pasta

Servings:8Serving Size:1 cupRecipe Cost:$0.99Cost per Serving:$0.12

Ingredients:

  • 5 to 6 quarts water
  • 4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 (16 ounce) package whole-wheat pasta

Directions:

  1. Wash hands with warm water and soap.
  2. Pour water into a large pot. Place pot on high heat.
  3. Add salt. Bring water to a full rolling boil.
  4. Add pasta. Stir pasta to prevent it from sticking. Make sure pasta is fully submerged in the water.
  5. Return water to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook pasta according to the package time. Check the pasta with 2 to 3 minutes remaining in the cook time. Remove a piece of pasta and test that it is tender but still has a slightly firm bite, meaning it is done.
  6. Once pasta is cooked, drain into a colander in the sink. (Note: Reserve about a cup of the pasta water to use to thin or thicken the sauce, if desired).
  7. If serving a warm pasta dish, do not rinse the pasta as this helps the sauce stick. If serving a cold pasta dish, such as pasta salad, rinse pasta with cold water until it is cool to stop the cooking process.
  8. If serving pasta with sauce, have sauce warming in a separate pot. Add pasta to the sauce and warm for about 2 minutes. Or, spoon sauce over the pasta. (Note: about 1 ½ cups of sauce is needed for 16-ounces of pasta).
  9. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Source: Brooke Jenkins, Extension Specialist with the Nutrition Education Program, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service

Nutrition facts per serving: 80 calories; 1g total fat; 0g saturated fat; 0g trans fat; 0mg cholesterol; 135mg sodium; 17g total carbohydrate; 2g fiber; 0g sugar; 0g added sugars; 3g protein; 0% Daily Value of vitamin D; 0% Daily Value of calcium; 6% Daily Value of iron; 2% Daily Value of potassium.