How to Cook Spaghetti

When you think of spaghetti, a long, thin pasta that’s a staple in homes and restaurants around the world. Also known as long pasta, it’s one of the most common ways people first learn to cook Italian food. But cooking it well? That’s where most people go wrong. You don’t need fancy tools or expensive ingredients—just the right timing, salt, and a little know-how.

Spaghetti is simple, but it’s not simple-minded. It needs boiling water that’s salty like the sea, and it shouldn’t be rinsed after draining—that starch helps the sauce stick. The spaghetti carbonara, a Roman classic made with eggs, cheese, pancetta, and black pepper, only works if the pasta is hot enough to cook the eggs without scrambling them. And if you’ve ever made Fettuccine Alfredo, a creamy sauce built from butter and Parmesan and ended up with a greasy mess, you know the sauce needs the pasta water to emulsify properly. These aren’t just recipes—they’re techniques that rely on how you handle the spaghetti.

Most people boil pasta too long, or skip the salt, or drain it too early. The result? A dish that looks like pasta but tastes like cardboard. The best spaghetti has a bite—al dente—not soft, not crunchy, just right. And pairing it matters. You can’t throw any sauce on it and call it good. The penne arrabbiata, a spicy tomato sauce with garlic and chili needs a sturdy noodle to hold up. Spaghetti? It’s made for lighter sauces, oil-based ones, or the rich, egg-based ones that cling to every strand.

You don’t need a five-star kitchen to make great spaghetti. You just need to understand the basics. How much water? How much salt? When to add the pasta? When to taste it? These aren’t secrets—they’re facts. And if you’ve ever wondered why your spaghetti tastes different from the one at that little Italian place down the street, it’s not the olive oil. It’s the timing. It’s the heat. It’s the way the sauce meets the noodle.

Below, you’ll find real posts from people who’ve cracked the code—how to make spaghetti look gourmet without spending extra, how to fix common mistakes, and even how to turn it into a full meal on a tight budget. Some show you how to make it from scratch. Others prove you don’t need to be a chef to get it right. Whether you’re cooking for one or feeding a family, the right way to cook spaghetti doesn’t change. It’s just about doing it right.