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Pasta is an excellent starting dish when you’re just learning how to cook. It’s as easy as boiling water and letting the pasta soften, then pairing it with your favorite sauce. But if you’re preparing a meal for friends or family and want the dish to look and taste even more elevated, there are a handful of ways to boost its elegance while still keeping the pasta dish simple.
“Take a little more time on the presentation,” Luca Corazzina, chef de cuisine at Olio e Più, told Chowhound, and pay attention to the details. “You can also incorporate little things like fresh herbs and a drizzle of good olive oil,” he added.
Beyond the garnishes, the setup of the pasta can build on its elevated feel. If you cooked a long pasta shape, such as spaghetti or bucatini, then you can use a pair of tongs to plate it. Grab the pasta, then twirl it on the plate using the tongs to create a circular shape that will help the dish look like it came from an Italian restaurant. While this isn’t possible with shorter pasta shapes, you can still ensure the pasta is evenly coated in sauce and that there are no splatter marks on the dish. After all, we eat with our eyes first, and a beautiful presentation sets you up for a beautiful flavor.
Other ways to easily elevate pasta
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Presentation of the pasta is key, but the dish also needs to taste elevated. If you plan to use store-bought marinara sauce, that’s fine, but there are ways to give it a boost so that it doesn’t taste like it came from a jar. Fresh herbs are perfect for giving it a homemade flavor; basil is great with tomato sauce, and parsley adds a brightness to rich Alfredo sauce. If you’re using the latter, melt a little butter with some rosemary and sage, then mix it into the Alfredo sauce for that restaurant-quality flavor. In fact, butter adds richness to jarred sauce of pretty much any variety.
Pay attention to every part of the pasta preparation process because each element goes into making the dish look and taste its best. “The sauce, seasoning, technique, and attention to detail all add up to making a pasta dish exceptional,” Luca Corazzina said. And make sure to choose a pasta shape that complements the sauce. Heartier, meat-based sauces need something sturdy, such as penne or ziti, while light butter sauces are perfect for thin pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine. That perfectly coated pasta, along with the gorgeous plating, does a lot to give the impression that you’re eating something that might cost you at a restaurant.
Dining and Cooking