The Best Way to Sauce Pasta

I don’t know what the best way to season pasta is, but I do have a few ideas for how to get it done right. Here are my tips for making sauce, or more specifically, dressing, on whole wheat pastas or noodles. Feel free to modify these as needed with other ingredients or simply swap out some of the ingredients. Use your own imagination!

Step 1

Make sure that you use fresh herbs and spices to flavor your sauce. If using dried herbs add them a couple of days before the meal so that they will taste fresh and fragrant when you make this dish. Or if you can’t find good quality herbs in the produce section at the grocery store, substitute herbs that work well with olive oil. For example, dill is great with sauteed spinach; oregano with lemon, lime and mint; thyme, basil and cilantro with garlic; and rosemary with red wine vinegar and fresh parsley. This method gives the herbs time to blend into the sauce. A nice side note is also to check labels to figure out how much salt was added to give the pasta its desired flavor. In general, if your pasta has been lightly sautéed, you will need less to compensate for the additional moisture. Also, since most noodles are already cooked at this point, any extra texture from the broth and cheese will be absorbed by the pasta. So the noodles will only absorb the richness of the sauce and not overdo it. You’ll want to keep things light, so use about 1/2 teaspoon per serving.

Step 2

Season the pasta with salt, pepper and black pepper. For small pieces of pasta like zucchini and spaghetti, we would recommend that each individual slice of zucchini be tossed with 2 tablespoons of the sauce. However, there are larger pieces such as large eggplant that can be coated in the sauce and have no risk of overcooking or undercooking. Simply cut up the eggplant for serving purposes and toss with the sauce over each piece. Then cook the pasta slightly longer than usual, at least 3–5 minutes on high heat until most of the vegetables are nicely tender. If using a rotisserie board, put the pasta on top and cook for 5 to 10 minutes on each side. Be mindful of cooking times; some types of noodles tend to take longer to cook up than others. Once the pasta is ready to be served, place it on a plate or bed. Next, sprinkle two tablespoons of croutons onto each piece while drizzling with a little bit of the sauce. The pasta should look crisp and perfectly seasoned. Add the parmesan cheese, if using and serve immediately with croutons. Serve with a green salad of roasted tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, avocado, pomegranate seeds, sun-dried chili peppers, diced onion and chopped celery. Enjoy!