I’m about to completely change the way you cook pasta.

Once you cook pasta with this no-drain one pot pasta method, you’ll wonder why you ever did it any other way. This is the only way I cook pasta any more - the no draining method.

All those years spent thinking pasta had to be cooked in gallons of water - I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to do that.

This way is so much faster, and it works perfectly every time.

Here is the basic formula for one pot no drain pasta:

1 package of pasta + 4 cups cold water.

In a shallow pot, one pound of pasta, any shape, needs about 4 cups of cold water. A standard sized package of most kinds of pasta in the US is usually one pound.

You can play around with this ratio and figure out what works for you, if you like your pasta softer or more firm, but I’ve found these quantities to be pretty spot on for us.

I add a bit of salt and butter, bring it up to a simmer, stir occasionally until the water is absorbed and pasta is cooked, maybe 10 minutes. If you want to add sauce of any kind, do that when most of the water is absorbed.

My kids favorite - which I recently found out that most children in Italy eat and they call it Pasta Blanco - White Pasta:

When the pasta is almost finished, add a little more butter and a few tablespoons of cream. Mix well until the butter is all melted. Taste and see if it needs a bit more salt. Serve with parmesan cheese on top.

This is so quick and easy. No waiting for water to boil! No rinsing. No draining. You are going to wonder why you ever did it any other way.