How Italians Really Cook Pasta (and 3 Mistakes to Avoid)

Pasta is the dish everyone knows, but not everyone cooks it the Italian way.
In Italy, pasta is everyday food — quick, affordable, and comforting. But outside of Italy, I often see some small mistakes that change the dish completely.

Here are the 3 most common mistakes:

1. Adding oil to the cooking water

No Italian does this. Pasta water only needs salt. Oil just floats on top and does nothing for sticking. If you want pasta that doesn’t clump, just stir it in the first 30 seconds.

2. Forgetting the salt (or adding too little)

Pasta water must “taste like the sea”. In practice: about 10 grams of salt per liter of water. Without it, pasta is flat, and no sauce can save it.

3. Overcooking the pasta

“Al dente” means the pasta should have a slight bite. In Italy, mushy pasta is a tragedy. Always taste it a minute before the package says it’s ready.

So, how do Italians really cook pasta?

• Big pot of boiling water

• A generous handful of salt

• Stir at the start, taste near the end

• Drain quickly and toss straight into the sauce

Simple, but that’s why it works — pasta becomes the star, not the victim.

👉 This is just the start. In my course Cooking Italy at Home, we spend a whole section on pasta, risotto, sauces, and broths — the foundations of Italian cooking.