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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 18 (from laksa022)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa018.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce","crawl_time":1774861090,"first_indexed_time":1480064518,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,stackexchange!cooking,\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce s443","src_root_hash":"8045678284012640218","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"boiling - Can I boil pasta in a pasta sauce? - Seasoned Advice","meta_descriptions":[],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"This question shows research effort; it is useful and clear\n35\nSave this question.\nShow activity on this post.\nIs it ok to boil pasta in pan with a pasta sauce?\nIs there any reason to boil pasta separately (and then add the sauce)?\nasked\nAug 4, 2010 at 14:14\n2\nThis answer is useful\n23\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nFor the best of both methods, cook the pasta most of the way in water, then strain and dump into the sauce to let it finish the last few minutes of cooking.\nanswered\nAug 4, 2010 at 15:36\n4\nThis answer is useful\n17\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nIn short, no, if you want a good result, you have to use at least\nsome\nwater.  The starch particles rinsed off by the water would end up in your sauce and you'd have a gloppy mess on your hands.\nCheck out\nthis article\nby Harold McGee, where he investigates the assumption that you need to boil pasta in copious water to have it come out right.\nTo summarize, if you're going to use the low-water method (2 qts water), you need to start with cold water and you need to stir frequently.\nanswered\nAug 4, 2010 at 14:19\n2\nThis answer is useful\n15\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nYou can cook\npasta by the absorption method\n, where you keep adding liquid in a covered pot until it is all absorbed. The liquid can be flavored, including wine for example. The texture is somewhat different, and the flavor absorbs very well. The pasta can also be toasted first. This is a traditional method for the Spanish dish known as fideos.\nanswered\nAug 4, 2010 at 15:11\n2\nThis answer is useful\n7\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nyou sort of can do this.  Lasagne is sort of done this way.\nI assume that the reason why you don't see this advocated with other types of pasta is that your sauce would become very starchy, and often you want to get rid of this starch.\nIf you can think of a sauce in which a lot of starchyness is desirable, then as long as the sauce was quite thin to start with then you might be able to thicken it up as it cooks by cooking the pasta in the sauce.\nBut I think that the recipe would be very susceptible to going wrong as a small amount more water or a different brand of pasta and you might not get the sauce consistency you want, and then you'd have to take the pasta out to stop it overcooking whilst you adjusted the consistency of the sauce.  And if there was not enough liquid to start with you might not cook the pasta enough before the sauce dried out or became too gloopy.\nI imagine that you would get better results with fresh pasta than with dried too.\nThis blog post\nhas some interesting investigations into cooking pasta and some of the pictures of the starchy water from pasta cooked in small amounts water show how much starch is coming off the pasta.\nkevins\n5,565\n4 gold badges\n37 silver badges\n41 bronze badges\nanswered\nAug 4, 2010 at 14:23\n5\nThis answer is useful\n3\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nI tried doing this because I have a very thin sauce and I thought this would thicken it up a bit. The end result wasn't good. The sauce had a starchy taste. I might try cooking the pasta half way then adding to the sauce, but really I should have just cooked the sauce longer to reduced it.\nanswered\nSep 27, 2016 at 23:07\nThis answer is useful\n3\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nI think it can be done, but the flavour of the sauce seems to be less fresh and a bit 'blunt', which I guess must be either due to the starch from the pasta getting into the sauce, or the pasta itself losing the contrast of its own flavour and texture in the sauce.\nPersonally, I don't really like it.\nOn a separate note, I've tried a similar thing with rice noodles (cooking them in the final broth) and can say hands down, that that is a BAD idea lol. The rice starch flavour seeped into the whole thing; it tasted so bad it was almost inedible. Rice noodles definitely need to be boiled separately in my experience.\nanswered\nSep 29, 2016 at 13:45\nThis answer is useful\n2\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nFor ease of cooking I've made one-pot bolognese before using this as a method. Just throwing in pasta into the pot as the sauce reduces. Less cleaning up to do.\nPersonally, I don't like it as a method, before I prefer to reduce and simmer the sauce for a while, by which point most of the liquid has left the sauce. The pasta requires quite a lot, and so you have to pour in a lot more water. So, generally, this is for when I cook for the kids. They still love it.\nSo, yes, I just throw in the pasta, add some more water, top up and necessary, and it cooks. Takes a little longer than normal too.\nanswered\nSep 3, 2010 at 16:41\nThis answer is useful\n2\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nYou can do this, anyway the effect is somewhat different from the traditional pasta way. I guess that the main problem is the excess of starch. You may think at this like the difference between boiling and stewing.\nAnyway you can cook pasta as a risotto (a southern italy recipe; pasta patate e prosciutto): sautè diced ham and potatoes in a large pan, add penne and cook like a risotto with chicken stock. The result is a very energetic dish and the pasta flavour is really different from the normal boiled pasta.\nanswered\nSep 3, 2010 at 22:20\nThis answer is useful\n1\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nI have cooked dried noodles in a very similar way with fresh tomatoes, by putting them in a pyrex pan, putting tomato slices, basil, olive oil, and spices on top, and baking it, covered in aluminum foil.  Even with the foil holding in the moisture, it's helpful to pour boiling water into the pan occasionally while baking.\nAs long as the noodles are fully covered with sauce, it will work well.  However, you will not have much control over how cooked the noodles end up.  You will probably end up with some parts that are overcooked and some that are crunchy.  It doesn't bother me.\nanswered\nSep 27, 2016 at 23:37\nThis answer is useful\n1\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nThere's \"\none pot pasta\n\" (Youtube), where you cook the sauce together with the pasta.\nSo, yes, it's possible.\nanswered\nMar 3, 2017 at 8:59\n5\nThis answer is useful\n1\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nYes you can! But soak the pasta in cold water first.\nThe food lab\nexplains the idea quite nicely - the point being that hydration (i.e. absorbing water) and the actual cooking are distinct processes that usually happen together, but need not do so. Hence, you can presoak the pasta and then add it to the sauce for boiling for a minute or so. I've tried that and it comes out well if the sauce is actually covering the pasta, i.e. not so much with a \"dry\" sauce like puttanesca.\nanswered\nMar 3, 2017 at 13:17\nThis answer is useful\n0\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\ni do this all the time! the trick is to reduce the sauce and when the sauce is ready add about 35 oz of boiling water\/pack of pasta. i usually have a little boiling water on the side incase the sauce drinks it up too soon. stir frequently!\nanswered\nMar 2, 2017 at 18:35\n3\nThis answer is useful\n0\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nThere are several disadvantages:\nAny fats from the sauce will coat the pasta and make it much harder to absorb water. Boiling time will be considerably longer, and especially in case of thicker noodles, pasta will be overboiled on the outside and still tough inside.\nYour pasta will release its starch and while not harmful, it makes the texture bad.\nConstant, persistent, thorough stirring required through the whole, lengthy boiling. In water, pasta floats, stirred automatically by boiling; only occasional stir is required to peel some random noodles from the bottom. In this sauce, you'd get raw pasta on top and thick layer of coal on the bottom unless you keep stirring all the time, scratching the bottom to remove any sauce and pasta that would burn.\nVery hard to retain the right thickness. You WILL need to add water as pasta absorbs a lot, and with the starch, and evaporation, would turn your sauce into solid. And if you add too much water, you'll have a soup instead of sauce, and you can't even reduce it because you'll overcook the pasta.\nStupid proportions. You'll still end up with something more resembling a soup than a solid dish like typical pasta with sauce - you need considerably more liquid for boiling than the pasta being boiled, and so you'll end up with a lot of sauce and relatively little pasta.\nanswered\nMar 3, 2017 at 13:46\n3\nThis answer is useful\n0\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nAs you may be aware the term\n\"one-pot-pasta\"\ndiffers exactly to your question - it is a method of cooking pasta where you firstly sautee your veg, make your sauce and then dump in your choice of pasta. All done in one pan, pot or whatever. No need to make a spot on assumption the first time of how much sauce you need to cook your pasta in - just add water if the sauce has thickened before the pasta is cooked completely. You will have to stir however - the sauce can stick (also I feel it slightly lengthens the cooking time).\nThis method makes for a much taste-dense pasta as it is literally boiled in \"flavoured\" water (sauce).\nThis is practically the only method I use these days - GO AHEAD!\nHope this helps :)\nanswered\nMar 3, 2017 at 14:09\nThis answer is useful\n0\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nNot only is it possible to cook your pasta such as macaroni, shells, and just about any pasta directly in the sauce. I add two jars of sauce a can 8oz tomato sauce and the desired amount of water and let it come to a boil then turn it to simmer and it will come out fine. I cook two kinds of meat, add mushrooms, onion let them fry up then add the pasta. Then I add the sauce, tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Let it simmer until the pasta is to your liking. Comes out delicious!\nanswered\nJan 4, 2023 at 1:40\n1\nThis answer is useful\n-1\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nI just made some Iron Skillet Pasta. I've never cooked pasta right in the sauce before. Took longer but well worth it! :)\nIt tasted amazing!\nJust took longer than a straight boil. Pasta absorbed flavor of sauce.\nKeep an eye and don't be afraid to keep adding a little water to the sauce so things don't dry out before pasta is al dente.\nThat's the other thing, I nailed the al dente because the window was longer. I cooked it on a low boil.\nAdded parmesan towards the end for creaminess.\nSadness, it's all gone. Those that partook said it was 5 Star Pasta :)\nanswered\nApr 2, 2013 at 12:52\n2\nThis answer is useful\n-3\nSave this answer.\nShow activity on this post.\nIn context to the OP's question: There is only\none\ncorrect way to prepare pasta.  You must have the proper amount of water and it must be salted. At least 6 quarts of water for a pound of pasta otherwise it gets gummy.  Salt the water when it begins to boil, use enough salt for it to taste like the ocean. Stirring it is also critical, stir constantly for the first 1 to 2 minutes and at frequent intervals there after. Boil until just Al dente,(\nabout 9 minutes\n) drain your pasta, always reserve some water for adjusting the sauce.\ndo not rinse or add any oil or butter to your pasta\n. sauce and enjoy.\nanswered\nMar 3, 2017 at 2:09\n4\nStart asking to get answers\nFind the answer to your question by asking.\nAsk question\nExplore related questions\nSee similar questions with these tags.","attrs_markdown":"# ![site logo](https:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/Content\/Img\/SE-logo75.png)\nBy clicking “Sign up”, you agree to our [terms of service](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/legal\/terms-of-service\/public) and acknowledge you have read our [privacy policy](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/legal\/privacy-policy).\n\n# OR\n\nAlready have an account? 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[Learn more](https:\/\/stackoverflow.co\/internal\/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=cooking-community&utm_campaign=side-bar&utm_content=explore-teams-compact)\n\n**Stack Internal**\n\nKnowledge at work\n\nBring the best of human thought and AI automation together at your work.\n\n[Explore Stack Internal](https:\/\/stackoverflow.co\/internal\/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=cooking-community&utm_campaign=side-bar&utm_content=explore-teams-compact-popover)\n\n# [Can I boil pasta in a pasta sauce?](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce)\n[Ask Question](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/ask)\n\nAsked\n\n15 years, 8 months ago\n\nModified [3 years, 2 months ago](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce?lastactivity \"2023-01-04 01:40:11Z\")\n\nViewed 122k times\n\nThis question shows research effort; it is useful and clear\n\n35\n\nSave this question.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nIs it ok to boil pasta in pan with a pasta sauce?\n\nIs there any reason to boil pasta separately (and then add the sauce)?\n\n- [pasta](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/tagged\/pasta \"show questions tagged 'pasta'\")\n- [boiling](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/tagged\/boiling \"show questions tagged 'boiling'\")\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/q\/4214 \"Short permalink to this question\")\n\nShare a link to this question\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 2.5](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.5\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5\")\n\n[Improve this question](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/4214\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this question to receive notifications\n\nasked Aug 4, 2010 at 14:14\n\n[![Tuomas Hietanen's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a4fe07aa2bc6360a2a25ebf7bfb48ad?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1644\/tuomas-hietanen)\n\n[Tuomas Hietanen](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1644\/tuomas-hietanen)\n\n81133 gold badges88 silver badges1313 bronze badges\n\n2\n\n- 3\n  Off topic, but I was bored once and boiled pasta with leftover cranberry juice .. the result was meh at best\n  \n  dassouki\n  \n  – [dassouki](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/87\/dassouki \"3,266 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-08-04 14:21:12 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 14:21](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3845_4214)\n- 1\n  That's the way many lasagna recipes do it, to keep the end product from being too mushy. I'd guess that the main drawback would be all the starch that would be released into the sauce. A lot of recipes have you add back some pasta water, to get that startch, but usually only a tiny, tiny fraction of the water that was used. If that supplies enough starch, I'd guess that all of it releasing into the sauce would not make for a good final product.\n  \n  PoloHoleSet\n  \n  – [PoloHoleSet](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/49684\/poloholeset \"3,674 reputation\")\n  \n  2016-09-29 15:59:16 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Sep 29, 2016 at 15:59](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment111792_4214)\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid answering questions in comments.\")   \\|\n\n## 17 Answers 17\nSorted by:\n\n[Reset to default](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce?answertab=scoredesc#tab-top)\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n23\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nFor the best of both methods, cook the pasta most of the way in water, then strain and dump into the sauce to let it finish the last few minutes of cooking.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/4231 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 2.5](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.5\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/4231\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Aug 4, 2010 at 15:36\n\n[![Tim Gilbert's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88bc6b5e3e3cd288f4bf143264a0233a?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/649\/tim-gilbert)\n\n[Tim Gilbert](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/649\/tim-gilbert)\n\n6,1832020 silver badges2727 bronze badges\n\n4\n\n- From what I've read, this is how most italian chefs do it.\n  \n  Ocaasi\n  \n  – [Ocaasi](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1443\/ocaasi \"5,797 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-08-04 19:21:36 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 19:21](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3891_4231)\n- Yeah, this sounds like the right approach. The Pasta should be even slightly hard when you put it into the sauce however. You definitely need to cook it in the water first though.\n  \n  Noldorin\n  \n  – [Noldorin](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1123\/noldorin \"673 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-10-10 16:26:25 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Oct 10, 2010 at 16:26](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment8653_4231)\n- Don't forget to salt the water too :) [cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/2579\/18418](http:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/2579\/18418)\n  \n  Travis J\n  \n  – [Travis J](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/18418\/travis-j \"408 reputation\")\n  \n  2013-05-22 23:25:54 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented May 22, 2013 at 23:25](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment48442_4231)\n- 1\n  Italians and Italian chefs boil the pasta in the PROPER amount of salted water to the correct and proper AL-dente and then they combine it with the sauce. they are not cooking the pasta further in the sauce.\n  \n  Alaska Man\n  \n  – [Alaska Man](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/54906\/alaska-man \"783 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 01:56:52 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 1:56](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119867_4231)\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n17\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nIn short, no, if you want a good result, you have to use at least *some* water. The starch particles rinsed off by the water would end up in your sauce and you'd have a gloppy mess on your hands.\n\nCheck out [this article](http:\/\/curiouscook.com\/cook\/other_writings_detail.php?id=44) by Harold McGee, where he investigates the assumption that you need to boil pasta in copious water to have it come out right.\n\nTo summarize, if you're going to use the low-water method (2 qts water), you need to start with cold water and you need to stir frequently.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/4217 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 2.5](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.5\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/4217\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Aug 4, 2010 at 14:19\n\n[![Rich Armstrong's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7f1edcb9c32c4026ba49c2b2b80e31c?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1664\/rich-armstrong)\n\n[Rich Armstrong](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1664\/rich-armstrong)\n\n1,27122 gold badges1010 silver badges1515 bronze badges\n\n2\n\n- I don't matter adding some water. But eating the actual pasta water, will something detach from the pasta to the water?\n  \n  Tuomas Hietanen\n  \n  – [Tuomas Hietanen](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1644\/tuomas-hietanen \"811 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-08-04 15:16:40 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 15:16](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3865_4217)\n- 4\n  @Tuomas, yes starch from the pasta will dissolve into the water.\n  \n  Sam Holder\n  \n  – [Sam Holder](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/210\/sam-holder \"11,368 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-08-04 15:47:53 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 15:47](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3871_4217)\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n15\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nYou can cook [pasta by the absorption method](http:\/\/www.herbivoracious.com\/2010\/06\/peppery-red-wine-capellini-cooked-by-the-absorption-method-recipe.html), where you keep adding liquid in a covered pot until it is all absorbed. The liquid can be flavored, including wine for example. The texture is somewhat different, and the flavor absorbs very well. The pasta can also be toasted first. This is a traditional method for the Spanish dish known as fideos.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/4229 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 2.5](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.5\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/4229\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Aug 4, 2010 at 15:11\n\n[![Michael Natkin's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a52f8f9146768ce0dc36a285e4c4d38d?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1393\/michael-natkin)\n\n[Michael Natkin](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1393\/michael-natkin)\n\n30\\.5k1818 gold badges9191 silver badges174174 bronze badges\n\n2\n\n- 2\n  Fideuá. Fideos are vermicelli in Spanish. [spanishfood.about.com\/od\/maincourses\/r\/Fideua.htm](http:\/\/spanishfood.about.com\/od\/maincourses\/r\/Fideua.htm)\n  \n  BaffledCook\n  \n  – [BaffledCook](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/641\/baffledcook \"13,420 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-10-10 17:46:53 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Oct 10, 2010 at 17:46](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment8654_4229)\n- Fideos, for sure - in fact I have two recipes for them on my blog, but those are made with dried pasta, not fresh.\n  \n  Michael Natkin\n  \n  – [Michael Natkin](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1393\/michael-natkin \"30,520 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-10-11 15:42:08 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Oct 11, 2010 at 15:42](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment8693_4229)\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n7\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nyou sort of can do this. Lasagne is sort of done this way.\n\nI assume that the reason why you don't see this advocated with other types of pasta is that your sauce would become very starchy, and often you want to get rid of this starch.\n\nIf you can think of a sauce in which a lot of starchyness is desirable, then as long as the sauce was quite thin to start with then you might be able to thicken it up as it cooks by cooking the pasta in the sauce.\n\nBut I think that the recipe would be very susceptible to going wrong as a small amount more water or a different brand of pasta and you might not get the sauce consistency you want, and then you'd have to take the pasta out to stop it overcooking whilst you adjusted the consistency of the sauce. And if there was not enough liquid to start with you might not cook the pasta enough before the sauce dried out or became too gloopy.\n\nI imagine that you would get better results with fresh pasta than with dried too.\n\n[This blog post](http:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/2010\/05\/how-to-cook-pasta-salt-water-boiling-tips-the-food-lab.html) has some interesting investigations into cooking pasta and some of the pictures of the starchy water from pasta cooked in small amounts water show how much starch is coming off the pasta.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/4219 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 2.5](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.5\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/4219\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\n[edited Oct 10, 2010 at 7:31](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/4219\/revisions \"show all edits to this post\")\n\n[![kevins's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/59e282c92a271e80f58a268062619fbf?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/220\/kevins)\n\n[kevins](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/220\/kevins)\n\n5,56544 gold badges3737 silver badges4141 bronze badges\n\nanswered Aug 4, 2010 at 14:23\n\n[![Sam Holder's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/343f4aabd790030a01f5f1510218bb7e?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/210\/sam-holder)\n\n[Sam Holder](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/210\/sam-holder)\n\n11\\.4k1919 gold badges7272 silver badges114114 bronze badges\n\n5\n\n- Lasagne notably has egg as a constituent though. I would definitely not want to try with normal semolina pasta.\n  \n  Noldorin\n  \n  – [Noldorin](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1123\/noldorin \"673 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-08-04 14:28:03 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 14:28](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3847_4219)\n- @Noldorin, so you think it might be ok with fresh egg pasta?\n  \n  Sam Holder\n  \n  – [Sam Holder](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/210\/sam-holder \"11,368 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-08-04 14:35:52 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 14:35](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3849_4219)\n- Yeah, well I think it's less likely to ruin the egg pasta, though I still wouldn't recommend it. Egg pasta generally cooks a lot quicker, and wouldn't have the problem of starchiness.\n  \n  Noldorin\n  \n  – [Noldorin](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1123\/noldorin \"673 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-08-04 14:53:38 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 14:53](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3853_4219)\n- I'm not recommending this either. Just wanted to point out that it might be possible, and that there are many reasons why it will probably not work. I assume wisdom of the masses means that if it was a good idea we would be doing it, and as we are not, then it probably isn't a good idea.\n  \n  Sam Holder\n  \n  – [Sam Holder](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/210\/sam-holder \"11,368 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-08-04 15:02:13 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 15:02](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3858_4219)\n- Indeed, I'm with you there.\n  \n  Noldorin\n  \n  – [Noldorin](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1123\/noldorin \"673 reputation\")\n  \n  2010-08-04 15:10:17 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 15:10](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3861_4219)\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n3\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nI tried doing this because I have a very thin sauce and I thought this would thicken it up a bit. The end result wasn't good. The sauce had a starchy taste. I might try cooking the pasta half way then adding to the sauce, but really I should have just cooked the sauce longer to reduced it.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/74312 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 3.0](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/74312\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Sep 27, 2016 at 23:07\n\n[![Bobbie D's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2791d8cece0395dbfffce089e22049d4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/50874\/bobbie-d)\n\n[Bobbie D](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/50874\/bobbie-d)\n\n3111 bronze badge\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n3\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nI think it can be done, but the flavour of the sauce seems to be less fresh and a bit 'blunt', which I guess must be either due to the starch from the pasta getting into the sauce, or the pasta itself losing the contrast of its own flavour and texture in the sauce. Personally, I don't really like it.\n\nOn a separate note, I've tried a similar thing with rice noodles (cooking them in the final broth) and can say hands down, that that is a BAD idea lol. The rice starch flavour seeped into the whole thing; it tasted so bad it was almost inedible. Rice noodles definitely need to be boiled separately in my experience.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/74376 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 3.0](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/74376\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Sep 29, 2016 at 13:45\n\n[![lightawake's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2791d8cece0395dbfffce089e22049d4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/50922\/lightawake)\n\n[lightawake](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/50922\/lightawake)\n\n57766 silver badges66 bronze badges\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n2\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nFor ease of cooking I've made one-pot bolognese before using this as a method. Just throwing in pasta into the pot as the sauce reduces. Less cleaning up to do.\n\nPersonally, I don't like it as a method, before I prefer to reduce and simmer the sauce for a while, by which point most of the liquid has left the sauce. The pasta requires quite a lot, and so you have to pour in a lot more water. So, generally, this is for when I cook for the kids. They still love it.\n\nSo, yes, I just throw in the pasta, add some more water, top up and necessary, and it cooks. Takes a little longer than normal too.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/6703 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 2.5](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.5\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/6703\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Sep 3, 2010 at 16:41\n\n[![Alex's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/037433291edf015be2bb24d613de181a?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1761\/alex)\n\n[Alex](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1761\/alex)\n\n80311 gold badge66 silver badges1414 bronze badges\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n2\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nYou can do this, anyway the effect is somewhat different from the traditional pasta way. I guess that the main problem is the excess of starch. You may think at this like the difference between boiling and stewing.\n\nAnyway you can cook pasta as a risotto (a southern italy recipe; pasta patate e prosciutto): sautè diced ham and potatoes in a large pan, add penne and cook like a risotto with chicken stock. The result is a very energetic dish and the pasta flavour is really different from the normal boiled pasta.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/6722 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 2.5](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.5\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/6722\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Sep 3, 2010 at 22:20\n\n[![pygabriel's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5bfe31fdaae579afcfcf22900dab73f4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1805\/pygabriel)\n\n[pygabriel](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1805\/pygabriel)\n\n96411 gold badge1010 silver badges1515 bronze badges\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n1\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nI have cooked dried noodles in a very similar way with fresh tomatoes, by putting them in a pyrex pan, putting tomato slices, basil, olive oil, and spices on top, and baking it, covered in aluminum foil. Even with the foil holding in the moisture, it's helpful to pour boiling water into the pan occasionally while baking.\n\nAs long as the noodles are fully covered with sauce, it will work well. However, you will not have much control over how cooked the noodles end up. You will probably end up with some parts that are overcooked and some that are crunchy. It doesn't bother me.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/74313 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 3.0](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/74313\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Sep 27, 2016 at 23:37\n\n[![margalo's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/440f6b63e3d7e9079f764cc75c8783b6?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/50786\/margalo)\n\n[margalo](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/50786\/margalo)\n\n57633 silver badges77 bronze badges\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n1\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nThere's \"[one pot pasta](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0VQEJARHJ44)\" (Youtube), where you cook the sauce together with the pasta.\n\nSo, yes, it's possible.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/78861 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 3.0](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/78861\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Mar 3, 2017 at 8:59\n\n[![BaffledCook's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1a1a30f4c8822565a842b2ac11c33fdd?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/641\/baffledcook)\n\n[BaffledCook](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/641\/baffledcook)\n\n13\\.4k2525 gold badges9090 silver badges134134 bronze badges\n\n5\n\n- There's also 'skillet lasagna', where you make the sauce, toss in broken lasagna sheets, let cook, then add the cheese on top.\n  \n  Joe\n  \n  – [Joe](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/67\/joe \"83,790 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 14:21:20 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 14:21](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119886_78861)\n- @Joe, I've seen a mac & cheese all tossed together.\n  \n  BaffledCook\n  \n  – [BaffledCook](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/641\/baffledcook \"13,420 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 14:27:27 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 14:27](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119889_78861)\n- Without cooking the pasta first? Was it at least hydrated before going into the cheese sauce? (and I'm assuming this was a roux-based sauce, not block of velveta or jar of chez whiz). I would think this might be work, as you have to make sure you don't scorch the sauce at the bottom of the pan\/pot.\n  \n  Joe\n  \n  – [Joe](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/67\/joe \"83,790 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 14:30:15 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 14:30](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119891_78861)\n- @Joe [Nothing](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GcFaQGtPOig&feature=youtu.be&t=250). This is a bit of an infomercial (don't buy the product, it's not worth it).\n  \n  BaffledCook\n  \n  – [BaffledCook](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/641\/baffledcook \"13,420 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 14:39:52 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 14:39](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119892_78861)\n- Ah ... a pan that claims nothing can stick to it ... so they have to make something that would come out ruined in most pans. Got it.\n  \n  Joe\n  \n  – [Joe](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/67\/joe \"83,790 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 15:54:59 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 15:54](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119902_78861)\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n1\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nYes you can! But soak the pasta in cold water first. [The food lab](http:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/2013\/05\/ask-the-food-lab-can-i-start-pasta-in-cold-water.html) explains the idea quite nicely - the point being that hydration (i.e. absorbing water) and the actual cooking are distinct processes that usually happen together, but need not do so. Hence, you can presoak the pasta and then add it to the sauce for boiling for a minute or so. I've tried that and it comes out well if the sauce is actually covering the pasta, i.e. not so much with a \"dry\" sauce like puttanesca.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/78863 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 3.0](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/78863\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Mar 3, 2017 at 13:17\n\n[![Toffomat's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc4059b3d9390ef6b373708a596370af?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/54766\/toffomat)\n\n[Toffomat](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/54766\/toffomat)\n\n23111 silver badge44 bronze badges\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n0\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\ni do this all the time! the trick is to reduce the sauce and when the sauce is ready add about 35 oz of boiling water\/pack of pasta. i usually have a little boiling water on the side incase the sauce drinks it up too soon. stir frequently\\!\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/78844 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 3.0](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/78844\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Mar 2, 2017 at 18:35\n\n[![Peggy's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fce2fedbc5842e8b581103f61163ddef?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/55030\/peggy)\n\n[Peggy](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/55030\/peggy)\n\n1\n\n3\n\n- 2\n  Welcome to Seasoned Advice! 35 oz sounds like a **lot** of water... it's over a quart Are you certain that's what you mean? Do you, perhaps mean 3-5 oz? Also, what is a \"pack\" of pasta? Depending on the brand, pasta commonly comes in 12 oz, 16 oz and 24 oz containers and I'm sure that some come in other sizes as well.\n  \n  Catija\n  \n  – [Catija](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/33128\/catija \"16,648 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-02 20:28:00 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 20:28](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119852_78844)\n- 35 oz is NOT enough water. 5 to 6 quarts for a pound of pasta. more better then not enough.\n  \n  Alaska Man\n  \n  – [Alaska Man](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/54906\/alaska-man \"783 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 02:12:40 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 2:12](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119868_78844)\n- 1\n  @Alaskaman Peggy is saying that the water is added to the sauce when the pasta is cooked in the sauce. Additionally, 5-6 quarts of water is certainly not necessary. I regularly cook pasta in half that amount with no issues.\n  \n  Catija\n  \n  – [Catija](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/33128\/catija \"16,648 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 04:10:20 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 4:10](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119873_78844)\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n0\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nThere are several disadvantages:\n\n1. Any fats from the sauce will coat the pasta and make it much harder to absorb water. Boiling time will be considerably longer, and especially in case of thicker noodles, pasta will be overboiled on the outside and still tough inside.\n2. Your pasta will release its starch and while not harmful, it makes the texture bad.\n3. Constant, persistent, thorough stirring required through the whole, lengthy boiling. In water, pasta floats, stirred automatically by boiling; only occasional stir is required to peel some random noodles from the bottom. In this sauce, you'd get raw pasta on top and thick layer of coal on the bottom unless you keep stirring all the time, scratching the bottom to remove any sauce and pasta that would burn.\n4. Very hard to retain the right thickness. You WILL need to add water as pasta absorbs a lot, and with the starch, and evaporation, would turn your sauce into solid. And if you add too much water, you'll have a soup instead of sauce, and you can't even reduce it because you'll overcook the pasta.\n5. Stupid proportions. You'll still end up with something more resembling a soup than a solid dish like typical pasta with sauce - you need considerably more liquid for boiling than the pasta being boiled, and so you'll end up with a lot of sauce and relatively little pasta.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/78865 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 3.0](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/78865\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Mar 3, 2017 at 13:46\n\n[![SF.'s user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/81060fe344980bc9a3273a48b8f3e31c?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/15666\/sf)\n\n[SF.](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/15666\/sf)\n\n3,09366 gold badges2929 silver badges2929 bronze badges\n\n3\n\n- Considering the big popularity of one-pot pasta meals, I think it's possible that some of your concerns are misplaced. Most of these are pretty successful at cooking pasta in the sauce directly, often a combination of stock and milk or cream.\n  \n  Catija\n  \n  – [Catija](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/33128\/catija \"16,648 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 19:29:45 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 19:29](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119909_78865)\n- @Catija: It's quite possible to cook in the same pot: make pasta al dente in water, drain it, then add the sauce ingredients and finish cooking the pasta with the sauce. But if you start by dumping dry pasta into raw sauce, you're unlikely to end up with something remotely good.\n  \n  SF.\n  \n  – [SF.](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/15666\/sf \"3,093 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-04 00:36:22 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 4, 2017 at 0:36](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119922_78865)\n- You should look at the one pot recipes... they don't use cooked pasta. I've made them several times and they are quite delicious.\n  \n  Catija\n  \n  – [Catija](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/33128\/catija \"16,648 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-04 00:59:21 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 4, 2017 at 0:59](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119926_78865)\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n0\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nAs you may be aware the term **\"one-pot-pasta\"** differs exactly to your question - it is a method of cooking pasta where you firstly sautee your veg, make your sauce and then dump in your choice of pasta. All done in one pan, pot or whatever. No need to make a spot on assumption the first time of how much sauce you need to cook your pasta in - just add water if the sauce has thickened before the pasta is cooked completely. You will have to stir however - the sauce can stick (also I feel it slightly lengthens the cooking time). This method makes for a much taste-dense pasta as it is literally boiled in \"flavoured\" water (sauce). **This is practically the only method I use these days - GO AHEAD\\!** Hope this helps :)\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/78866 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 3.0](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/78866\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Mar 3, 2017 at 14:09\n\n[![Adelina's user avatar](https:\/\/i.sstatic.net\/qMHcJ.png?s=64)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/53591\/adelina)\n\n[Adelina](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/53591\/adelina)\n\n45622 silver badges33 bronze badges\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n0\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nNot only is it possible to cook your pasta such as macaroni, shells, and just about any pasta directly in the sauce. I add two jars of sauce a can 8oz tomato sauce and the desired amount of water and let it come to a boil then turn it to simmer and it will come out fine. I cook two kinds of meat, add mushrooms, onion let them fry up then add the pasta. Then I add the sauce, tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Let it simmer until the pasta is to your liking. Comes out delicious\\!\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/122921 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 4.0](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 4.0\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/122921\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Jan 4, 2023 at 1:40\n\n[![Ray's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c4a02c73b08d2d8bad4ffd37485db3e?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/102448\/ray)\n\n[Ray](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/102448\/ray)\n\n1\n\n1\n\n- Welcome to SA! Note that you are answering a question which was asked over 10 years ago, so it's unlikely that your answer will get any attention. In most cases, if you are answering old questions, it's best to only answer if you can add substantial new information to the answer pool.\n  \n  FuzzyChef\n  \n  – [FuzzyChef](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/7180\/fuzzychef \"66,052 reputation\")\n  \n  2023-01-06 19:30:37 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Jan 6, 2023 at 19:30](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment201386_122921)\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n\\-1\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nI just made some Iron Skillet Pasta. I've never cooked pasta right in the sauce before. Took longer but well worth it! :)\n\nIt tasted amazing\\!\n\nJust took longer than a straight boil. Pasta absorbed flavor of sauce.\n\nKeep an eye and don't be afraid to keep adding a little water to the sauce so things don't dry out before pasta is al dente.\n\nThat's the other thing, I nailed the al dente because the window was longer. I cooked it on a low boil.\n\nAdded parmesan towards the end for creaminess.\n\nSadness, it's all gone. Those that partook said it was 5 Star Pasta :)\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/33192 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 3.0](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/33192\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\nanswered Apr 2, 2013 at 12:52\n\n[![Moshe Tamssot's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/518cc7683e84dd87b7baf031e4c29fd2?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/17623\/moshe-tamssot)\n\n[Moshe Tamssot](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/17623\/moshe-tamssot)\n\n1\n\n2\n\n- 1\n  The reason why chefs boil to al dente is so it doesnt become overcooked when they add it to the sauce. The pasta is usually cooked for a few minutes in the sauce after its taken from the water. So if you are cooking it in the sauce already, ending the pastas cooking process when its at the al dente stage will mean its undercooked as a dish.\n  \n  Jay\n  \n  – [Jay](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/8305\/jay \"8,903 reputation\")\n  \n  2013-04-03 06:14:53 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Apr 3, 2013 at 6:14](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment46747_33192)\n- 1\n  The reason chef's cook pasta al dente is so that i will be al dente when you eat it. It should not be cooked past the point of al dente.\n  \n  Alaska Man\n  \n  – [Alaska Man](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/54906\/alaska-man \"783 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 12:09:39 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 12:09](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119883_33192)\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n\\-3\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nIn context to the OP's question: There is only **one** correct way to prepare pasta. You must have the proper amount of water and it must be salted. At least 6 quarts of water for a pound of pasta otherwise it gets gummy. Salt the water when it begins to boil, use enough salt for it to taste like the ocean. Stirring it is also critical, stir constantly for the first 1 to 2 minutes and at frequent intervals there after. Boil until just Al dente,(*about 9 minutes*) drain your pasta, always reserve some water for adjusting the sauce. **do not rinse or add any oil or butter to your pasta**. sauce and enjoy.\n\n[Share](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/a\/78853 \"Short permalink to this answer\")\n\nShare a link to this answer\n\nCopy link\n\n[CC BY-SA 3.0](https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/ \"The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0\")\n\n[Improve this answer](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/78853\/edit)\n\nFollow\n\nFollow this answer to receive notifications\n\n[edited Mar 3, 2017 at 12:13](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/posts\/78853\/revisions \"show all edits to this post\")\n\nanswered Mar 3, 2017 at 2:09\n\n[![Alaska Man's user avatar](https:\/\/i.sstatic.net\/rnRDF.jpg?s=64)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/54906\/alaska-man)\n\n[Alaska Man](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/54906\/alaska-man)\n\n78355 silver badges99 bronze badges\n\n4\n\n- 3\n  I'm really sorry but there's certainly more than one way to prepare pasta. How you prepare it depends on what it's being used for... for example, for a cold pasta salad, you *need* to rinse the pasta to stop the cooking and clear out the extra starch. Additionally, cook time depends on shape of pasta, what it's made out of, whether it's fresh or dried, and the brand, to some degree. Angel hair would be mush after 9 minutes.\n  \n  Catija\n  \n  – [Catija](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/33128\/catija \"16,648 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 04:09:02 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 4:09](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119872_78853)\n- @Catija I did not there was only one way, i said there is only one CORRECT way. We Americans are good a bastardizing foods from around the world and saying that we do it better. Rinsing your pasta to \"clear out the extra starch\" causes it to loose its ability to hold the sauce or what your adding to it. context of the OP's question was for sauce not salad. Yes the 9 minutes was general time for your average size dried pasta such as penne or rigatoni, i assumed that people were smart enough to understand that angel hair would cook quicker. My bad.\n  \n  Alaska Man\n  \n  – [Alaska Man](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/54906\/alaska-man \"783 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 11:48:33 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 11:48](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119881_78853)\n- @Alaskaman : 'do not rinse or add any oil or butter to your pasta'. What about Aglio Et Olio ?\n  \n  Joe\n  \n  – [Joe](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/67\/joe \"83,790 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-03 14:25:24 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 14:25](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119888_78853)\n- @Joe obviously if oil IS your sauce then oil it. If you are saucing with tomato or cream sauce then you want your pasta to be able the old the sauce and oiling it will prevent this.\n  \n  Alaska Man\n  \n  – [Alaska Man](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/54906\/alaska-man \"783 reputation\")\n  \n  2017-03-06 02:59:05 +00:00\n  \n  [Commented Mar 6, 2017 at 2:59](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119995_78853)\n\n[Add a comment](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/4214\/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce \"Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.\")   \\|\n\nStart asking to get answers\n\nFind the answer to your question by asking.\n\n[Ask question](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/ask)\n\nExplore related questions\n\n- [pasta](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/tagged\/pasta \"show questions tagged 'pasta'\")\n- [boiling](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/tagged\/boiling \"show questions tagged 'boiling'\")\n\nSee similar questions with these tags.\n\n#### Linked\n[178](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/2574\/why-add-salt-to-the-water-when-cooking-pasta?lq=1 \"Question score (upvotes - downvotes)\")\n\n[Why add salt to the water when cooking pasta?](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/2574\/why-add-salt-to-the-water-when-cooking-pasta?noredirect=1&lq=1)\n\n#### Related\n[83](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/403\/how-can-i-keep-pasta-from-sticking-to-itself?rq=1 \"Question score (upvotes - downvotes)\")\n\n[How can I keep pasta from sticking to itself?](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/403\/how-can-i-keep-pasta-from-sticking-to-itself?rq=1)\n\n[42](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/3949\/pasta-is-simmering-equivalent-to-roiling-boil?rq=1 \"Question score (upvotes - 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[What's reputation and how do I get it?](https:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/help\/whats-reputation)\n\nInstead, you can save this post to reference later.\n\nSave this post for later\n\nNot now\n\n##### [Seasoned Advice](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/)\n- [Tour](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/tour)\n- [Help](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/help)\n- [Chat](https:\/\/chat.stackexchange.com\/?tab=site&host=cooking.stackexchange.com)\n- [Contact](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/contact)\n- [Feedback](https:\/\/cooking.meta.stackexchange.com\/)\n\n##### [Company](https:\/\/stackoverflow.co\/)\n- [Stack Overflow](https:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/)\n- [Stack Internal](https:\/\/stackoverflow.co\/internal\/)\n- [Stack Data Licensing](https:\/\/stackoverflow.co\/data-licensing\/)\n- [Stack Ads](https:\/\/stackoverflow.co\/advertising\/)\n- [About](https:\/\/stackoverflow.co\/)\n- [Press](https:\/\/stackoverflow.co\/company\/press\/)\n- [Legal](https:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/legal)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/legal\/privacy-policy)\n- [Terms of Service](https:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/legal\/terms-of-service\/public)\n- Cookie Settings\n- [Cookie Policy](https:\/\/policies.stackoverflow.co\/stack-overflow\/cookie-policy)\n\n##### [Stack Exchange Network](https:\/\/stackexchange.com\/)\n- [Technology](https:\/\/stackexchange.com\/sites#technology)\n- [Culture & recreation](https:\/\/stackexchange.com\/sites#culturerecreation)\n- [Life & arts](https:\/\/stackexchange.com\/sites#lifearts)\n- [Science](https:\/\/stackexchange.com\/sites#science)\n- [Professional](https:\/\/stackexchange.com\/sites#professional)\n- [Business](https:\/\/stackexchange.com\/sites#business)\n- [API](https:\/\/api.stackexchange.com\/)\n- [Data](https:\/\/data.stackexchange.com\/)\n\n- [Blog](https:\/\/stackoverflow.blog\/?blb=1)\n- [Facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/officialstackoverflow\/)\n- [Twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/stackoverflow)\n- [LinkedIn](https:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/stack-overflow)\n- [Instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thestackoverflow)\n\nSite design \/ logo © 2026 Stack Exchange Inc;  user contributions licensed under  [CC BY-SA](https:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/help\/licensing) .  rev 2026.3.27.41560","attrs_readable_markdown":"This question shows research effort; it is useful and clear\n\n35\n\nSave this question.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nIs it ok to boil pasta in pan with a pasta sauce?\n\nIs there any reason to boil pasta separately (and then add the sauce)?\n\nasked Aug 4, 2010 at 14:14\n\n[![Tuomas Hietanen's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a4fe07aa2bc6360a2a25ebf7bfb48ad?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1644\/tuomas-hietanen)\n\n2\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n23\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nFor the best of both methods, cook the pasta most of the way in water, then strain and dump into the sauce to let it finish the last few minutes of cooking.\n\nanswered Aug 4, 2010 at 15:36\n\n[![Tim Gilbert's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88bc6b5e3e3cd288f4bf143264a0233a?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/649\/tim-gilbert)\n\n4\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n17\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nIn short, no, if you want a good result, you have to use at least *some* water. The starch particles rinsed off by the water would end up in your sauce and you'd have a gloppy mess on your hands.\n\nCheck out [this article](http:\/\/curiouscook.com\/cook\/other_writings_detail.php?id=44) by Harold McGee, where he investigates the assumption that you need to boil pasta in copious water to have it come out right.\n\nTo summarize, if you're going to use the low-water method (2 qts water), you need to start with cold water and you need to stir frequently.\n\nanswered Aug 4, 2010 at 14:19\n\n[![Rich Armstrong's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a7f1edcb9c32c4026ba49c2b2b80e31c?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1664\/rich-armstrong)\n\n2\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n15\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nYou can cook [pasta by the absorption method](http:\/\/www.herbivoracious.com\/2010\/06\/peppery-red-wine-capellini-cooked-by-the-absorption-method-recipe.html), where you keep adding liquid in a covered pot until it is all absorbed. The liquid can be flavored, including wine for example. The texture is somewhat different, and the flavor absorbs very well. The pasta can also be toasted first. This is a traditional method for the Spanish dish known as fideos.\n\nanswered Aug 4, 2010 at 15:11\n\n[![Michael Natkin's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a52f8f9146768ce0dc36a285e4c4d38d?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1393\/michael-natkin)\n\n2\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n7\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nyou sort of can do this. Lasagne is sort of done this way.\n\nI assume that the reason why you don't see this advocated with other types of pasta is that your sauce would become very starchy, and often you want to get rid of this starch.\n\nIf you can think of a sauce in which a lot of starchyness is desirable, then as long as the sauce was quite thin to start with then you might be able to thicken it up as it cooks by cooking the pasta in the sauce.\n\nBut I think that the recipe would be very susceptible to going wrong as a small amount more water or a different brand of pasta and you might not get the sauce consistency you want, and then you'd have to take the pasta out to stop it overcooking whilst you adjusted the consistency of the sauce. And if there was not enough liquid to start with you might not cook the pasta enough before the sauce dried out or became too gloopy.\n\nI imagine that you would get better results with fresh pasta than with dried too.\n\n[This blog post](http:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/2010\/05\/how-to-cook-pasta-salt-water-boiling-tips-the-food-lab.html) has some interesting investigations into cooking pasta and some of the pictures of the starchy water from pasta cooked in small amounts water show how much starch is coming off the pasta.\n\n[![kevins's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/59e282c92a271e80f58a268062619fbf?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/220\/kevins)\n\n[kevins](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/220\/kevins)\n\n5,5654 gold badges37 silver badges41 bronze badges\n\nanswered Aug 4, 2010 at 14:23\n\n[![Sam Holder's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/343f4aabd790030a01f5f1510218bb7e?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/210\/sam-holder)\n\n5\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n3\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nI tried doing this because I have a very thin sauce and I thought this would thicken it up a bit. The end result wasn't good. The sauce had a starchy taste. I might try cooking the pasta half way then adding to the sauce, but really I should have just cooked the sauce longer to reduced it.\n\nanswered Sep 27, 2016 at 23:07\n\n[![Bobbie D's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2791d8cece0395dbfffce089e22049d4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/50874\/bobbie-d)\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n3\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nI think it can be done, but the flavour of the sauce seems to be less fresh and a bit 'blunt', which I guess must be either due to the starch from the pasta getting into the sauce, or the pasta itself losing the contrast of its own flavour and texture in the sauce. Personally, I don't really like it.\n\nOn a separate note, I've tried a similar thing with rice noodles (cooking them in the final broth) and can say hands down, that that is a BAD idea lol. The rice starch flavour seeped into the whole thing; it tasted so bad it was almost inedible. Rice noodles definitely need to be boiled separately in my experience.\n\nanswered Sep 29, 2016 at 13:45\n\n[![lightawake's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2791d8cece0395dbfffce089e22049d4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/50922\/lightawake)\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n2\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nFor ease of cooking I've made one-pot bolognese before using this as a method. Just throwing in pasta into the pot as the sauce reduces. Less cleaning up to do.\n\nPersonally, I don't like it as a method, before I prefer to reduce and simmer the sauce for a while, by which point most of the liquid has left the sauce. The pasta requires quite a lot, and so you have to pour in a lot more water. So, generally, this is for when I cook for the kids. They still love it.\n\nSo, yes, I just throw in the pasta, add some more water, top up and necessary, and it cooks. Takes a little longer than normal too.\n\nanswered Sep 3, 2010 at 16:41\n\n[![Alex's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/037433291edf015be2bb24d613de181a?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1761\/alex)\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n2\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nYou can do this, anyway the effect is somewhat different from the traditional pasta way. I guess that the main problem is the excess of starch. You may think at this like the difference between boiling and stewing.\n\nAnyway you can cook pasta as a risotto (a southern italy recipe; pasta patate e prosciutto): sautè diced ham and potatoes in a large pan, add penne and cook like a risotto with chicken stock. The result is a very energetic dish and the pasta flavour is really different from the normal boiled pasta.\n\nanswered Sep 3, 2010 at 22:20\n\n[![pygabriel's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5bfe31fdaae579afcfcf22900dab73f4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/1805\/pygabriel)\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n1\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nI have cooked dried noodles in a very similar way with fresh tomatoes, by putting them in a pyrex pan, putting tomato slices, basil, olive oil, and spices on top, and baking it, covered in aluminum foil. Even with the foil holding in the moisture, it's helpful to pour boiling water into the pan occasionally while baking.\n\nAs long as the noodles are fully covered with sauce, it will work well. However, you will not have much control over how cooked the noodles end up. You will probably end up with some parts that are overcooked and some that are crunchy. It doesn't bother me.\n\nanswered Sep 27, 2016 at 23:37\n\n[![margalo's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/440f6b63e3d7e9079f764cc75c8783b6?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/50786\/margalo)\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n1\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nThere's \"[one pot pasta](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0VQEJARHJ44)\" (Youtube), where you cook the sauce together with the pasta.\n\nSo, yes, it's possible.\n\nanswered Mar 3, 2017 at 8:59\n\n[![BaffledCook's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1a1a30f4c8822565a842b2ac11c33fdd?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/641\/baffledcook)\n\n5\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n1\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nYes you can! But soak the pasta in cold water first. [The food lab](http:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/2013\/05\/ask-the-food-lab-can-i-start-pasta-in-cold-water.html) explains the idea quite nicely - the point being that hydration (i.e. absorbing water) and the actual cooking are distinct processes that usually happen together, but need not do so. Hence, you can presoak the pasta and then add it to the sauce for boiling for a minute or so. I've tried that and it comes out well if the sauce is actually covering the pasta, i.e. not so much with a \"dry\" sauce like puttanesca.\n\nanswered Mar 3, 2017 at 13:17\n\n[![Toffomat's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc4059b3d9390ef6b373708a596370af?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/54766\/toffomat)\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n0\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\ni do this all the time! the trick is to reduce the sauce and when the sauce is ready add about 35 oz of boiling water\/pack of pasta. i usually have a little boiling water on the side incase the sauce drinks it up too soon. stir frequently\\!\n\nanswered Mar 2, 2017 at 18:35\n\n[![Peggy's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fce2fedbc5842e8b581103f61163ddef?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/55030\/peggy)\n\n3\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n0\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nThere are several disadvantages:\n\n1. Any fats from the sauce will coat the pasta and make it much harder to absorb water. Boiling time will be considerably longer, and especially in case of thicker noodles, pasta will be overboiled on the outside and still tough inside.\n2. Your pasta will release its starch and while not harmful, it makes the texture bad.\n3. Constant, persistent, thorough stirring required through the whole, lengthy boiling. In water, pasta floats, stirred automatically by boiling; only occasional stir is required to peel some random noodles from the bottom. In this sauce, you'd get raw pasta on top and thick layer of coal on the bottom unless you keep stirring all the time, scratching the bottom to remove any sauce and pasta that would burn.\n4. Very hard to retain the right thickness. You WILL need to add water as pasta absorbs a lot, and with the starch, and evaporation, would turn your sauce into solid. And if you add too much water, you'll have a soup instead of sauce, and you can't even reduce it because you'll overcook the pasta.\n5. Stupid proportions. You'll still end up with something more resembling a soup than a solid dish like typical pasta with sauce - you need considerably more liquid for boiling than the pasta being boiled, and so you'll end up with a lot of sauce and relatively little pasta.\n\nanswered Mar 3, 2017 at 13:46\n\n[![SF.'s user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/81060fe344980bc9a3273a48b8f3e31c?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/15666\/sf)\n\n3\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n0\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nAs you may be aware the term **\"one-pot-pasta\"** differs exactly to your question - it is a method of cooking pasta where you firstly sautee your veg, make your sauce and then dump in your choice of pasta. All done in one pan, pot or whatever. No need to make a spot on assumption the first time of how much sauce you need to cook your pasta in - just add water if the sauce has thickened before the pasta is cooked completely. You will have to stir however - the sauce can stick (also I feel it slightly lengthens the cooking time). This method makes for a much taste-dense pasta as it is literally boiled in \"flavoured\" water (sauce). **This is practically the only method I use these days - GO AHEAD\\!** Hope this helps :)\n\nanswered Mar 3, 2017 at 14:09\n\n[![Adelina's user avatar](https:\/\/i.sstatic.net\/qMHcJ.png?s=64)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/53591\/adelina)\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n0\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nNot only is it possible to cook your pasta such as macaroni, shells, and just about any pasta directly in the sauce. I add two jars of sauce a can 8oz tomato sauce and the desired amount of water and let it come to a boil then turn it to simmer and it will come out fine. I cook two kinds of meat, add mushrooms, onion let them fry up then add the pasta. Then I add the sauce, tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Let it simmer until the pasta is to your liking. Comes out delicious\\!\n\nanswered Jan 4, 2023 at 1:40\n\n[![Ray's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c4a02c73b08d2d8bad4ffd37485db3e?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/102448\/ray)\n\n1\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n\\-1\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nI just made some Iron Skillet Pasta. I've never cooked pasta right in the sauce before. Took longer but well worth it! :)\n\nIt tasted amazing\\!\n\nJust took longer than a straight boil. Pasta absorbed flavor of sauce.\n\nKeep an eye and don't be afraid to keep adding a little water to the sauce so things don't dry out before pasta is al dente.\n\nThat's the other thing, I nailed the al dente because the window was longer. I cooked it on a low boil.\n\nAdded parmesan towards the end for creaminess.\n\nSadness, it's all gone. Those that partook said it was 5 Star Pasta :)\n\nanswered Apr 2, 2013 at 12:52\n\n[![Moshe Tamssot's user avatar](https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/518cc7683e84dd87b7baf031e4c29fd2?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/17623\/moshe-tamssot)\n\n2\n\nThis answer is useful\n\n\\-3\n\nSave this answer.\n\nShow activity on this post.\n\nIn context to the OP's question: There is only **one** correct way to prepare pasta. You must have the proper amount of water and it must be salted. At least 6 quarts of water for a pound of pasta otherwise it gets gummy. Salt the water when it begins to boil, use enough salt for it to taste like the ocean. Stirring it is also critical, stir constantly for the first 1 to 2 minutes and at frequent intervals there after. Boil until just Al dente,(*about 9 minutes*) drain your pasta, always reserve some water for adjusting the sauce. **do not rinse or add any oil or butter to your pasta**. sauce and enjoy.\n\nanswered Mar 3, 2017 at 2:09\n\n[![Alaska Man's user avatar](https:\/\/i.sstatic.net\/rnRDF.jpg?s=64)](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/users\/54906\/alaska-man)\n\n4\n\nStart asking to get answers\n\nFind the answer to your question by asking.\n\n[Ask question](https:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/ask)\n\nExplore related questions\n\nSee similar questions with these tags.","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	This question shows research effort; it is useful and clear 35 Save this question. Show activity on this post. Is it ok to boil pasta in pan with a pasta sauce? Is there any reason to boil pasta separately (and then add the sauce)? asked Aug 4, 2010 at 14:14 2 This answer is useful 23 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. For the best of both methods, cook the pasta most of the way in water, then strain and dump into the sauce to let it finish the last few minutes of cooking. answered Aug 4, 2010 at 15:36 4 This answer is useful 17 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. In short, no, if you want a good result, you have to use at least some water. The starch particles rinsed off by the water would end up in your sauce and you'd have a gloppy mess on your hands. Check out this article by Harold McGee, where he investigates the assumption that you need to boil pasta in copious water to have it come out right. To summarize, if you're going to use the low-water method (2 qts water), you need to start with cold water and you need to stir frequently. answered Aug 4, 2010 at 14:19 2 This answer is useful 15 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. You can cook pasta by the absorption method , where you keep adding liquid in a covered pot until it is all absorbed. The liquid can be flavored, including wine for example. The texture is somewhat different, and the flavor absorbs very well. The pasta can also be toasted first. This is a traditional method for the Spanish dish known as fideos. answered Aug 4, 2010 at 15:11 2 This answer is useful 7 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. you sort of can do this. Lasagne is sort of done this way. I assume that the reason why you don't see this advocated with other types of pasta is that your sauce would become very starchy, and often you want to get rid of this starch. If you can think of a sauce in which a lot of starchyness is desirable, then as long as the sauce was quite thin to start with then you might be able to thicken it up as it cooks by cooking the pasta in the sauce. But I think that the recipe would be very susceptible to going wrong as a small amount more water or a different brand of pasta and you might not get the sauce consistency you want, and then you'd have to take the pasta out to stop it overcooking whilst you adjusted the consistency of the sauce. And if there was not enough liquid to start with you might not cook the pasta enough before the sauce dried out or became too gloopy. I imagine that you would get better results with fresh pasta than with dried too. This blog post has some interesting investigations into cooking pasta and some of the pictures of the starchy water from pasta cooked in small amounts water show how much starch is coming off the pasta. kevins 5,565 4 gold badges 37 silver badges 41 bronze badges answered Aug 4, 2010 at 14:23 5 This answer is useful 3 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I tried doing this because I have a very thin sauce and I thought this would thicken it up a bit. The end result wasn't good. The sauce had a starchy taste. I might try cooking the pasta half way then adding to the sauce, but really I should have just cooked the sauce longer to reduced it. answered Sep 27, 2016 at 23:07 This answer is useful 3 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I think it can be done, but the flavour of the sauce seems to be less fresh and a bit 'blunt', which I guess must be either due to the starch from the pasta getting into the sauce, or the pasta itself losing the contrast of its own flavour and texture in the sauce. Personally, I don't really like it. On a separate note, I've tried a similar thing with rice noodles (cooking them in the final broth) and can say hands down, that that is a BAD idea lol. The rice starch flavour seeped into the whole thing; it tasted so bad it was almost inedible. Rice noodles definitely need to be boiled separately in my experience. answered Sep 29, 2016 at 13:45 This answer is useful 2 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. For ease of cooking I've made one-pot bolognese before using this as a method. Just throwing in pasta into the pot as the sauce reduces. Less cleaning up to do. Personally, I don't like it as a method, before I prefer to reduce and simmer the sauce for a while, by which point most of the liquid has left the sauce. The pasta requires quite a lot, and so you have to pour in a lot more water. So, generally, this is for when I cook for the kids. They still love it. So, yes, I just throw in the pasta, add some more water, top up and necessary, and it cooks. Takes a little longer than normal too. answered Sep 3, 2010 at 16:41 This answer is useful 2 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. You can do this, anyway the effect is somewhat different from the traditional pasta way. I guess that the main problem is the excess of starch. You may think at this like the difference between boiling and stewing. Anyway you can cook pasta as a risotto (a southern italy recipe; pasta patate e prosciutto): sautè diced ham and potatoes in a large pan, add penne and cook like a risotto with chicken stock. The result is a very energetic dish and the pasta flavour is really different from the normal boiled pasta. answered Sep 3, 2010 at 22:20 This answer is useful 1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I have cooked dried noodles in a very similar way with fresh tomatoes, by putting them in a pyrex pan, putting tomato slices, basil, olive oil, and spices on top, and baking it, covered in aluminum foil. Even with the foil holding in the moisture, it's helpful to pour boiling water into the pan occasionally while baking. As long as the noodles are fully covered with sauce, it will work well. However, you will not have much control over how cooked the noodles end up. You will probably end up with some parts that are overcooked and some that are crunchy. It doesn't bother me. answered Sep 27, 2016 at 23:37 This answer is useful 1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. There's " one pot pasta " (Youtube), where you cook the sauce together with the pasta. So, yes, it's possible. answered Mar 3, 2017 at 8:59 5 This answer is useful 1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. Yes you can! But soak the pasta in cold water first. The food lab explains the idea quite nicely - the point being that hydration (i.e. absorbing water) and the actual cooking are distinct processes that usually happen together, but need not do so. Hence, you can presoak the pasta and then add it to the sauce for boiling for a minute or so. I've tried that and it comes out well if the sauce is actually covering the pasta, i.e. not so much with a "dry" sauce like puttanesca. answered Mar 3, 2017 at 13:17 This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. i do this all the time! the trick is to reduce the sauce and when the sauce is ready add about 35 oz of boiling water/pack of pasta. i usually have a little boiling water on the side incase the sauce drinks it up too soon. stir frequently! answered Mar 2, 2017 at 18:35 3 This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. There are several disadvantages: Any fats from the sauce will coat the pasta and make it much harder to absorb water. Boiling time will be considerably longer, and especially in case of thicker noodles, pasta will be overboiled on the outside and still tough inside. Your pasta will release its starch and while not harmful, it makes the texture bad. Constant, persistent, thorough stirring required through the whole, lengthy boiling. In water, pasta floats, stirred automatically by boiling; only occasional stir is required to peel some random noodles from the bottom. In this sauce, you'd get raw pasta on top and thick layer of coal on the bottom unless you keep stirring all the time, scratching the bottom to remove any sauce and pasta that would burn. Very hard to retain the right thickness. You WILL need to add water as pasta absorbs a lot, and with the starch, and evaporation, would turn your sauce into solid. And if you add too much water, you'll have a soup instead of sauce, and you can't even reduce it because you'll overcook the pasta. Stupid proportions. You'll still end up with something more resembling a soup than a solid dish like typical pasta with sauce - you need considerably more liquid for boiling than the pasta being boiled, and so you'll end up with a lot of sauce and relatively little pasta. answered Mar 3, 2017 at 13:46 3 This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. As you may be aware the term "one-pot-pasta" differs exactly to your question - it is a method of cooking pasta where you firstly sautee your veg, make your sauce and then dump in your choice of pasta. All done in one pan, pot or whatever. No need to make a spot on assumption the first time of how much sauce you need to cook your pasta in - just add water if the sauce has thickened before the pasta is cooked completely. You will have to stir however - the sauce can stick (also I feel it slightly lengthens the cooking time). This method makes for a much taste-dense pasta as it is literally boiled in "flavoured" water (sauce). This is practically the only method I use these days - GO AHEAD! Hope this helps :) answered Mar 3, 2017 at 14:09 This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. Not only is it possible to cook your pasta such as macaroni, shells, and just about any pasta directly in the sauce. I add two jars of sauce a can 8oz tomato sauce and the desired amount of water and let it come to a boil then turn it to simmer and it will come out fine. I cook two kinds of meat, add mushrooms, onion let them fry up then add the pasta. Then I add the sauce, tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Let it simmer until the pasta is to your liking. Comes out delicious! answered Jan 4, 2023 at 1:40 1 This answer is useful -1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I just made some Iron Skillet Pasta. I've never cooked pasta right in the sauce before. Took longer but well worth it! :) It tasted amazing! Just took longer than a straight boil. Pasta absorbed flavor of sauce. Keep an eye and don't be afraid to keep adding a little water to the sauce so things don't dry out before pasta is al dente. That's the other thing, I nailed the al dente because the window was longer. I cooked it on a low boil. Added parmesan towards the end for creaminess. Sadness, it's all gone. Those that partook said it was 5 Star Pasta :) answered Apr 2, 2013 at 12:52 2 This answer is useful -3 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. In context to the OP's question: There is only one correct way to prepare pasta. You must have the proper amount of water and it must be salted. At least 6 quarts of water for a pound of pasta otherwise it gets gummy. Salt the water when it begins to boil, use enough salt for it to taste like the ocean. Stirring it is also critical, stir constantly for the first 1 to 2 minutes and at frequent intervals there after. Boil until just Al dente,( about 9 minutes ) drain your pasta, always reserve some water for adjusting the sauce. do not rinse or add any oil or butter to your pasta . sauce and enjoy. answered Mar 3, 2017 at 2:09 4 Start asking to get answers Find the answer to your question by asking. Ask question Explore related questions See similar questions with these tags.
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[Explore Stack Internal](https://stackoverflow.co/internal/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=cooking-community&utm_campaign=side-bar&utm_content=explore-teams-compact-popover) # [Can I boil pasta in a pasta sauce?](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce) [Ask Question](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/ask) Asked 15 years, 8 months ago Modified [3 years, 2 months ago](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce?lastactivity "2023-01-04 01:40:11Z") Viewed 122k times This question shows research effort; it is useful and clear 35 Save this question. Show activity on this post. Is it ok to boil pasta in pan with a pasta sauce? Is there any reason to boil pasta separately (and then add the sauce)? - [pasta](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/pasta "show questions tagged 'pasta'") - [boiling](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/boiling "show questions tagged 'boiling'") [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/4214 "Short permalink to this question") Share a link to this question Copy link [CC BY-SA 2.5](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5") [Improve this question](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/4214/edit) Follow Follow this question to receive notifications asked Aug 4, 2010 at 14:14 [![Tuomas Hietanen's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/4a4fe07aa2bc6360a2a25ebf7bfb48ad?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1644/tuomas-hietanen) [Tuomas Hietanen](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1644/tuomas-hietanen) 81133 gold badges88 silver badges1313 bronze badges 2 - 3 Off topic, but I was bored once and boiled pasta with leftover cranberry juice .. the result was meh at best dassouki – [dassouki](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/87/dassouki "3,266 reputation") 2010-08-04 14:21:12 +00:00 [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 14:21](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3845_4214) - 1 That's the way many lasagna recipes do it, to keep the end product from being too mushy. I'd guess that the main drawback would be all the starch that would be released into the sauce. A lot of recipes have you add back some pasta water, to get that startch, but usually only a tiny, tiny fraction of the water that was used. If that supplies enough starch, I'd guess that all of it releasing into the sauce would not make for a good final product. PoloHoleSet – [PoloHoleSet](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/49684/poloholeset "3,674 reputation") 2016-09-29 15:59:16 +00:00 [Commented Sep 29, 2016 at 15:59](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment111792_4214) [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid answering questions in comments.") \\| ## 17 Answers 17 Sorted by: [Reset to default](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce?answertab=scoredesc#tab-top) This answer is useful 23 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. For the best of both methods, cook the pasta most of the way in water, then strain and dump into the sauce to let it finish the last few minutes of cooking. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/4231 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 2.5](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/4231/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Aug 4, 2010 at 15:36 [![Tim Gilbert's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/88bc6b5e3e3cd288f4bf143264a0233a?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/649/tim-gilbert) [Tim Gilbert](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/649/tim-gilbert) 6,1832020 silver badges2727 bronze badges 4 - From what I've read, this is how most italian chefs do it. Ocaasi – [Ocaasi](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1443/ocaasi "5,797 reputation") 2010-08-04 19:21:36 +00:00 [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 19:21](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3891_4231) - Yeah, this sounds like the right approach. The Pasta should be even slightly hard when you put it into the sauce however. You definitely need to cook it in the water first though. Noldorin – [Noldorin](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1123/noldorin "673 reputation") 2010-10-10 16:26:25 +00:00 [Commented Oct 10, 2010 at 16:26](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment8653_4231) - Don't forget to salt the water too :) [cooking.stackexchange.com/a/2579/18418](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/2579/18418) Travis J – [Travis J](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/18418/travis-j "408 reputation") 2013-05-22 23:25:54 +00:00 [Commented May 22, 2013 at 23:25](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment48442_4231) - 1 Italians and Italian chefs boil the pasta in the PROPER amount of salted water to the correct and proper AL-dente and then they combine it with the sauce. they are not cooking the pasta further in the sauce. Alaska Man – [Alaska Man](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54906/alaska-man "783 reputation") 2017-03-03 01:56:52 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 1:56](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119867_4231) [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 17 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. In short, no, if you want a good result, you have to use at least some water. The starch particles rinsed off by the water would end up in your sauce and you'd have a gloppy mess on your hands. Check out [this article](http://curiouscook.com/cook/other_writings_detail.php?id=44) by Harold McGee, where he investigates the assumption that you need to boil pasta in copious water to have it come out right. To summarize, if you're going to use the low-water method (2 qts water), you need to start with cold water and you need to stir frequently. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/4217 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 2.5](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/4217/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Aug 4, 2010 at 14:19 [![Rich Armstrong's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/a7f1edcb9c32c4026ba49c2b2b80e31c?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1664/rich-armstrong) [Rich Armstrong](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1664/rich-armstrong) 1,27122 gold badges1010 silver badges1515 bronze badges 2 - I don't matter adding some water. But eating the actual pasta water, will something detach from the pasta to the water? Tuomas Hietanen – [Tuomas Hietanen](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1644/tuomas-hietanen "811 reputation") 2010-08-04 15:16:40 +00:00 [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 15:16](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3865_4217) - 4 @Tuomas, yes starch from the pasta will dissolve into the water. Sam Holder – [Sam Holder](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/210/sam-holder "11,368 reputation") 2010-08-04 15:47:53 +00:00 [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 15:47](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3871_4217) [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 15 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. You can cook [pasta by the absorption method](http://www.herbivoracious.com/2010/06/peppery-red-wine-capellini-cooked-by-the-absorption-method-recipe.html), where you keep adding liquid in a covered pot until it is all absorbed. The liquid can be flavored, including wine for example. The texture is somewhat different, and the flavor absorbs very well. The pasta can also be toasted first. This is a traditional method for the Spanish dish known as fideos. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/4229 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 2.5](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/4229/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Aug 4, 2010 at 15:11 [![Michael Natkin's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/a52f8f9146768ce0dc36a285e4c4d38d?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1393/michael-natkin) [Michael Natkin](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1393/michael-natkin) 30\.5k1818 gold badges9191 silver badges174174 bronze badges 2 - 2 Fideuá. Fideos are vermicelli in Spanish. [spanishfood.about.com/od/maincourses/r/Fideua.htm](http://spanishfood.about.com/od/maincourses/r/Fideua.htm) BaffledCook – [BaffledCook](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/641/baffledcook "13,420 reputation") 2010-10-10 17:46:53 +00:00 [Commented Oct 10, 2010 at 17:46](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment8654_4229) - Fideos, for sure - in fact I have two recipes for them on my blog, but those are made with dried pasta, not fresh. Michael Natkin – [Michael Natkin](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1393/michael-natkin "30,520 reputation") 2010-10-11 15:42:08 +00:00 [Commented Oct 11, 2010 at 15:42](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment8693_4229) [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 7 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. you sort of can do this. Lasagne is sort of done this way. I assume that the reason why you don't see this advocated with other types of pasta is that your sauce would become very starchy, and often you want to get rid of this starch. If you can think of a sauce in which a lot of starchyness is desirable, then as long as the sauce was quite thin to start with then you might be able to thicken it up as it cooks by cooking the pasta in the sauce. But I think that the recipe would be very susceptible to going wrong as a small amount more water or a different brand of pasta and you might not get the sauce consistency you want, and then you'd have to take the pasta out to stop it overcooking whilst you adjusted the consistency of the sauce. And if there was not enough liquid to start with you might not cook the pasta enough before the sauce dried out or became too gloopy. I imagine that you would get better results with fresh pasta than with dried too. [This blog post](http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/05/how-to-cook-pasta-salt-water-boiling-tips-the-food-lab.html) has some interesting investigations into cooking pasta and some of the pictures of the starchy water from pasta cooked in small amounts water show how much starch is coming off the pasta. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/4219 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 2.5](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/4219/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications [edited Oct 10, 2010 at 7:31](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/4219/revisions "show all edits to this post") [![kevins's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/59e282c92a271e80f58a268062619fbf?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/220/kevins) [kevins](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/220/kevins) 5,56544 gold badges3737 silver badges4141 bronze badges answered Aug 4, 2010 at 14:23 [![Sam Holder's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/343f4aabd790030a01f5f1510218bb7e?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/210/sam-holder) [Sam Holder](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/210/sam-holder) 11\.4k1919 gold badges7272 silver badges114114 bronze badges 5 - Lasagne notably has egg as a constituent though. I would definitely not want to try with normal semolina pasta. Noldorin – [Noldorin](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1123/noldorin "673 reputation") 2010-08-04 14:28:03 +00:00 [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 14:28](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3847_4219) - @Noldorin, so you think it might be ok with fresh egg pasta? Sam Holder – [Sam Holder](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/210/sam-holder "11,368 reputation") 2010-08-04 14:35:52 +00:00 [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 14:35](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3849_4219) - Yeah, well I think it's less likely to ruin the egg pasta, though I still wouldn't recommend it. Egg pasta generally cooks a lot quicker, and wouldn't have the problem of starchiness. Noldorin – [Noldorin](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1123/noldorin "673 reputation") 2010-08-04 14:53:38 +00:00 [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 14:53](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3853_4219) - I'm not recommending this either. Just wanted to point out that it might be possible, and that there are many reasons why it will probably not work. I assume wisdom of the masses means that if it was a good idea we would be doing it, and as we are not, then it probably isn't a good idea. Sam Holder – [Sam Holder](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/210/sam-holder "11,368 reputation") 2010-08-04 15:02:13 +00:00 [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 15:02](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3858_4219) - Indeed, I'm with you there. Noldorin – [Noldorin](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1123/noldorin "673 reputation") 2010-08-04 15:10:17 +00:00 [Commented Aug 4, 2010 at 15:10](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment3861_4219) [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 3 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I tried doing this because I have a very thin sauce and I thought this would thicken it up a bit. The end result wasn't good. The sauce had a starchy taste. I might try cooking the pasta half way then adding to the sauce, but really I should have just cooked the sauce longer to reduced it. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/74312 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/74312/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Sep 27, 2016 at 23:07 [![Bobbie D's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/2791d8cece0395dbfffce089e22049d4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/50874/bobbie-d) [Bobbie D](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/50874/bobbie-d) 3111 bronze badge [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 3 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I think it can be done, but the flavour of the sauce seems to be less fresh and a bit 'blunt', which I guess must be either due to the starch from the pasta getting into the sauce, or the pasta itself losing the contrast of its own flavour and texture in the sauce. Personally, I don't really like it. On a separate note, I've tried a similar thing with rice noodles (cooking them in the final broth) and can say hands down, that that is a BAD idea lol. The rice starch flavour seeped into the whole thing; it tasted so bad it was almost inedible. Rice noodles definitely need to be boiled separately in my experience. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/74376 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/74376/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Sep 29, 2016 at 13:45 [![lightawake's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/2791d8cece0395dbfffce089e22049d4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/50922/lightawake) [lightawake](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/50922/lightawake) 57766 silver badges66 bronze badges [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 2 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. For ease of cooking I've made one-pot bolognese before using this as a method. Just throwing in pasta into the pot as the sauce reduces. Less cleaning up to do. Personally, I don't like it as a method, before I prefer to reduce and simmer the sauce for a while, by which point most of the liquid has left the sauce. The pasta requires quite a lot, and so you have to pour in a lot more water. So, generally, this is for when I cook for the kids. They still love it. So, yes, I just throw in the pasta, add some more water, top up and necessary, and it cooks. Takes a little longer than normal too. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/6703 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 2.5](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/6703/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Sep 3, 2010 at 16:41 [![Alex's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/037433291edf015be2bb24d613de181a?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1761/alex) [Alex](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1761/alex) 80311 gold badge66 silver badges1414 bronze badges [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 2 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. You can do this, anyway the effect is somewhat different from the traditional pasta way. I guess that the main problem is the excess of starch. You may think at this like the difference between boiling and stewing. Anyway you can cook pasta as a risotto (a southern italy recipe; pasta patate e prosciutto): sautè diced ham and potatoes in a large pan, add penne and cook like a risotto with chicken stock. The result is a very energetic dish and the pasta flavour is really different from the normal boiled pasta. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/6722 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 2.5](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 2.5") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/6722/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Sep 3, 2010 at 22:20 [![pygabriel's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/5bfe31fdaae579afcfcf22900dab73f4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1805/pygabriel) [pygabriel](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1805/pygabriel) 96411 gold badge1010 silver badges1515 bronze badges [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I have cooked dried noodles in a very similar way with fresh tomatoes, by putting them in a pyrex pan, putting tomato slices, basil, olive oil, and spices on top, and baking it, covered in aluminum foil. Even with the foil holding in the moisture, it's helpful to pour boiling water into the pan occasionally while baking. As long as the noodles are fully covered with sauce, it will work well. However, you will not have much control over how cooked the noodles end up. You will probably end up with some parts that are overcooked and some that are crunchy. It doesn't bother me. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/74313 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/74313/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Sep 27, 2016 at 23:37 [![margalo's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/440f6b63e3d7e9079f764cc75c8783b6?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/50786/margalo) [margalo](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/50786/margalo) 57633 silver badges77 bronze badges [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. There's "[one pot pasta](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VQEJARHJ44)" (Youtube), where you cook the sauce together with the pasta. So, yes, it's possible. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/78861 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/78861/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Mar 3, 2017 at 8:59 [![BaffledCook's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/1a1a30f4c8822565a842b2ac11c33fdd?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/641/baffledcook) [BaffledCook](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/641/baffledcook) 13\.4k2525 gold badges9090 silver badges134134 bronze badges 5 - There's also 'skillet lasagna', where you make the sauce, toss in broken lasagna sheets, let cook, then add the cheese on top. Joe – [Joe](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/67/joe "83,790 reputation") 2017-03-03 14:21:20 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 14:21](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119886_78861) - @Joe, I've seen a mac & cheese all tossed together. BaffledCook – [BaffledCook](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/641/baffledcook "13,420 reputation") 2017-03-03 14:27:27 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 14:27](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119889_78861) - Without cooking the pasta first? Was it at least hydrated before going into the cheese sauce? (and I'm assuming this was a roux-based sauce, not block of velveta or jar of chez whiz). I would think this might be work, as you have to make sure you don't scorch the sauce at the bottom of the pan/pot. Joe – [Joe](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/67/joe "83,790 reputation") 2017-03-03 14:30:15 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 14:30](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119891_78861) - @Joe [Nothing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcFaQGtPOig&feature=youtu.be&t=250). This is a bit of an infomercial (don't buy the product, it's not worth it). BaffledCook – [BaffledCook](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/641/baffledcook "13,420 reputation") 2017-03-03 14:39:52 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 14:39](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119892_78861) - Ah ... a pan that claims nothing can stick to it ... so they have to make something that would come out ruined in most pans. Got it. Joe – [Joe](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/67/joe "83,790 reputation") 2017-03-03 15:54:59 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 15:54](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119902_78861) [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. Yes you can! But soak the pasta in cold water first. [The food lab](http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/05/ask-the-food-lab-can-i-start-pasta-in-cold-water.html) explains the idea quite nicely - the point being that hydration (i.e. absorbing water) and the actual cooking are distinct processes that usually happen together, but need not do so. Hence, you can presoak the pasta and then add it to the sauce for boiling for a minute or so. I've tried that and it comes out well if the sauce is actually covering the pasta, i.e. not so much with a "dry" sauce like puttanesca. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/78863 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/78863/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Mar 3, 2017 at 13:17 [![Toffomat's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/bc4059b3d9390ef6b373708a596370af?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54766/toffomat) [Toffomat](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54766/toffomat) 23111 silver badge44 bronze badges [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. i do this all the time! the trick is to reduce the sauce and when the sauce is ready add about 35 oz of boiling water/pack of pasta. i usually have a little boiling water on the side incase the sauce drinks it up too soon. stir frequently\! [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/78844 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/78844/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Mar 2, 2017 at 18:35 [![Peggy's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/fce2fedbc5842e8b581103f61163ddef?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/55030/peggy) [Peggy](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/55030/peggy) 1 3 - 2 Welcome to Seasoned Advice! 35 oz sounds like a lot of water... it's over a quart Are you certain that's what you mean? Do you, perhaps mean 3-5 oz? Also, what is a "pack" of pasta? Depending on the brand, pasta commonly comes in 12 oz, 16 oz and 24 oz containers and I'm sure that some come in other sizes as well. Catija – [Catija](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/33128/catija "16,648 reputation") 2017-03-02 20:28:00 +00:00 [Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 20:28](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119852_78844) - 35 oz is NOT enough water. 5 to 6 quarts for a pound of pasta. more better then not enough. Alaska Man – [Alaska Man](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54906/alaska-man "783 reputation") 2017-03-03 02:12:40 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 2:12](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119868_78844) - 1 @Alaskaman Peggy is saying that the water is added to the sauce when the pasta is cooked in the sauce. Additionally, 5-6 quarts of water is certainly not necessary. I regularly cook pasta in half that amount with no issues. Catija – [Catija](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/33128/catija "16,648 reputation") 2017-03-03 04:10:20 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 4:10](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119873_78844) [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. There are several disadvantages: 1. Any fats from the sauce will coat the pasta and make it much harder to absorb water. Boiling time will be considerably longer, and especially in case of thicker noodles, pasta will be overboiled on the outside and still tough inside. 2. Your pasta will release its starch and while not harmful, it makes the texture bad. 3. Constant, persistent, thorough stirring required through the whole, lengthy boiling. In water, pasta floats, stirred automatically by boiling; only occasional stir is required to peel some random noodles from the bottom. In this sauce, you'd get raw pasta on top and thick layer of coal on the bottom unless you keep stirring all the time, scratching the bottom to remove any sauce and pasta that would burn. 4. Very hard to retain the right thickness. You WILL need to add water as pasta absorbs a lot, and with the starch, and evaporation, would turn your sauce into solid. And if you add too much water, you'll have a soup instead of sauce, and you can't even reduce it because you'll overcook the pasta. 5. Stupid proportions. You'll still end up with something more resembling a soup than a solid dish like typical pasta with sauce - you need considerably more liquid for boiling than the pasta being boiled, and so you'll end up with a lot of sauce and relatively little pasta. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/78865 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/78865/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Mar 3, 2017 at 13:46 [![SF.'s user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/81060fe344980bc9a3273a48b8f3e31c?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/15666/sf) [SF.](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/15666/sf) 3,09366 gold badges2929 silver badges2929 bronze badges 3 - Considering the big popularity of one-pot pasta meals, I think it's possible that some of your concerns are misplaced. Most of these are pretty successful at cooking pasta in the sauce directly, often a combination of stock and milk or cream. Catija – [Catija](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/33128/catija "16,648 reputation") 2017-03-03 19:29:45 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 19:29](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119909_78865) - @Catija: It's quite possible to cook in the same pot: make pasta al dente in water, drain it, then add the sauce ingredients and finish cooking the pasta with the sauce. But if you start by dumping dry pasta into raw sauce, you're unlikely to end up with something remotely good. SF. – [SF.](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/15666/sf "3,093 reputation") 2017-03-04 00:36:22 +00:00 [Commented Mar 4, 2017 at 0:36](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119922_78865) - You should look at the one pot recipes... they don't use cooked pasta. I've made them several times and they are quite delicious. Catija – [Catija](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/33128/catija "16,648 reputation") 2017-03-04 00:59:21 +00:00 [Commented Mar 4, 2017 at 0:59](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119926_78865) [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. As you may be aware the term "one-pot-pasta" differs exactly to your question - it is a method of cooking pasta where you firstly sautee your veg, make your sauce and then dump in your choice of pasta. All done in one pan, pot or whatever. No need to make a spot on assumption the first time of how much sauce you need to cook your pasta in - just add water if the sauce has thickened before the pasta is cooked completely. You will have to stir however - the sauce can stick (also I feel it slightly lengthens the cooking time). This method makes for a much taste-dense pasta as it is literally boiled in "flavoured" water (sauce). This is practically the only method I use these days - GO AHEAD\! Hope this helps :) [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/78866 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/78866/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Mar 3, 2017 at 14:09 [![Adelina's user avatar](https://i.sstatic.net/qMHcJ.png?s=64)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/53591/adelina) [Adelina](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/53591/adelina) 45622 silver badges33 bronze badges [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. Not only is it possible to cook your pasta such as macaroni, shells, and just about any pasta directly in the sauce. I add two jars of sauce a can 8oz tomato sauce and the desired amount of water and let it come to a boil then turn it to simmer and it will come out fine. I cook two kinds of meat, add mushrooms, onion let them fry up then add the pasta. Then I add the sauce, tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Let it simmer until the pasta is to your liking. Comes out delicious\! [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/122921 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 4.0") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/122921/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Jan 4, 2023 at 1:40 [![Ray's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/2c4a02c73b08d2d8bad4ffd37485db3e?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/102448/ray) [Ray](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/102448/ray) 1 1 - Welcome to SA! Note that you are answering a question which was asked over 10 years ago, so it's unlikely that your answer will get any attention. In most cases, if you are answering old questions, it's best to only answer if you can add substantial new information to the answer pool. FuzzyChef – [FuzzyChef](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/7180/fuzzychef "66,052 reputation") 2023-01-06 19:30:37 +00:00 [Commented Jan 6, 2023 at 19:30](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment201386_122921) [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful \-1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I just made some Iron Skillet Pasta. I've never cooked pasta right in the sauce before. Took longer but well worth it! :) It tasted amazing\! Just took longer than a straight boil. Pasta absorbed flavor of sauce. Keep an eye and don't be afraid to keep adding a little water to the sauce so things don't dry out before pasta is al dente. That's the other thing, I nailed the al dente because the window was longer. I cooked it on a low boil. Added parmesan towards the end for creaminess. Sadness, it's all gone. Those that partook said it was 5 Star Pasta :) [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/33192 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/33192/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications answered Apr 2, 2013 at 12:52 [![Moshe Tamssot's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/518cc7683e84dd87b7baf031e4c29fd2?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/17623/moshe-tamssot) [Moshe Tamssot](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/17623/moshe-tamssot) 1 2 - 1 The reason why chefs boil to al dente is so it doesnt become overcooked when they add it to the sauce. The pasta is usually cooked for a few minutes in the sauce after its taken from the water. So if you are cooking it in the sauce already, ending the pastas cooking process when its at the al dente stage will mean its undercooked as a dish. Jay – [Jay](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/8305/jay "8,903 reputation") 2013-04-03 06:14:53 +00:00 [Commented Apr 3, 2013 at 6:14](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment46747_33192) - 1 The reason chef's cook pasta al dente is so that i will be al dente when you eat it. It should not be cooked past the point of al dente. Alaska Man – [Alaska Man](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54906/alaska-man "783 reputation") 2017-03-03 12:09:39 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 12:09](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119883_33192) [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| This answer is useful \-3 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. In context to the OP's question: There is only one correct way to prepare pasta. You must have the proper amount of water and it must be salted. At least 6 quarts of water for a pound of pasta otherwise it gets gummy. Salt the water when it begins to boil, use enough salt for it to taste like the ocean. Stirring it is also critical, stir constantly for the first 1 to 2 minutes and at frequent intervals there after. Boil until just Al dente,(about 9 minutes) drain your pasta, always reserve some water for adjusting the sauce. do not rinse or add any oil or butter to your pasta. sauce and enjoy. [Share](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/78853 "Short permalink to this answer") Share a link to this answer Copy link [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ "The current license for this post: CC BY-SA 3.0") [Improve this answer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/78853/edit) Follow Follow this answer to receive notifications [edited Mar 3, 2017 at 12:13](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/posts/78853/revisions "show all edits to this post") answered Mar 3, 2017 at 2:09 [![Alaska Man's user avatar](https://i.sstatic.net/rnRDF.jpg?s=64)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54906/alaska-man) [Alaska Man](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54906/alaska-man) 78355 silver badges99 bronze badges 4 - 3 I'm really sorry but there's certainly more than one way to prepare pasta. How you prepare it depends on what it's being used for... for example, for a cold pasta salad, you need to rinse the pasta to stop the cooking and clear out the extra starch. Additionally, cook time depends on shape of pasta, what it's made out of, whether it's fresh or dried, and the brand, to some degree. Angel hair would be mush after 9 minutes. Catija – [Catija](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/33128/catija "16,648 reputation") 2017-03-03 04:09:02 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 4:09](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119872_78853) - @Catija I did not there was only one way, i said there is only one CORRECT way. We Americans are good a bastardizing foods from around the world and saying that we do it better. Rinsing your pasta to "clear out the extra starch" causes it to loose its ability to hold the sauce or what your adding to it. context of the OP's question was for sauce not salad. Yes the 9 minutes was general time for your average size dried pasta such as penne or rigatoni, i assumed that people were smart enough to understand that angel hair would cook quicker. My bad. Alaska Man – [Alaska Man](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54906/alaska-man "783 reputation") 2017-03-03 11:48:33 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 11:48](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119881_78853) - @Alaskaman : 'do not rinse or add any oil or butter to your pasta'. What about Aglio Et Olio ? Joe – [Joe](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/67/joe "83,790 reputation") 2017-03-03 14:25:24 +00:00 [Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 14:25](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119888_78853) - @Joe obviously if oil IS your sauce then oil it. If you are saucing with tomato or cream sauce then you want your pasta to be able the old the sauce and oiling it will prevent this. Alaska Man – [Alaska Man](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54906/alaska-man "783 reputation") 2017-03-06 02:59:05 +00:00 [Commented Mar 6, 2017 at 2:59](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce#comment119995_78853) [Add a comment](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/4214/can-i-boil-pasta-in-a-pasta-sauce "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid comments like “+1” or “thanks”.") \\| Start asking to get answers Find the answer to your question by asking. 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Readable Markdown	This question shows research effort; it is useful and clear 35 Save this question. Show activity on this post. Is it ok to boil pasta in pan with a pasta sauce? Is there any reason to boil pasta separately (and then add the sauce)? asked Aug 4, 2010 at 14:14 [![Tuomas Hietanen's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/4a4fe07aa2bc6360a2a25ebf7bfb48ad?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1644/tuomas-hietanen) 2 This answer is useful 23 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. For the best of both methods, cook the pasta most of the way in water, then strain and dump into the sauce to let it finish the last few minutes of cooking. answered Aug 4, 2010 at 15:36 [![Tim Gilbert's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/88bc6b5e3e3cd288f4bf143264a0233a?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/649/tim-gilbert) 4 This answer is useful 17 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. In short, no, if you want a good result, you have to use at least some water. The starch particles rinsed off by the water would end up in your sauce and you'd have a gloppy mess on your hands. Check out [this article](http://curiouscook.com/cook/other_writings_detail.php?id=44) by Harold McGee, where he investigates the assumption that you need to boil pasta in copious water to have it come out right. To summarize, if you're going to use the low-water method (2 qts water), you need to start with cold water and you need to stir frequently. answered Aug 4, 2010 at 14:19 [![Rich Armstrong's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/a7f1edcb9c32c4026ba49c2b2b80e31c?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1664/rich-armstrong) 2 This answer is useful 15 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. You can cook [pasta by the absorption method](http://www.herbivoracious.com/2010/06/peppery-red-wine-capellini-cooked-by-the-absorption-method-recipe.html), where you keep adding liquid in a covered pot until it is all absorbed. The liquid can be flavored, including wine for example. The texture is somewhat different, and the flavor absorbs very well. The pasta can also be toasted first. This is a traditional method for the Spanish dish known as fideos. answered Aug 4, 2010 at 15:11 [![Michael Natkin's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/a52f8f9146768ce0dc36a285e4c4d38d?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1393/michael-natkin) 2 This answer is useful 7 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. you sort of can do this. Lasagne is sort of done this way. I assume that the reason why you don't see this advocated with other types of pasta is that your sauce would become very starchy, and often you want to get rid of this starch. If you can think of a sauce in which a lot of starchyness is desirable, then as long as the sauce was quite thin to start with then you might be able to thicken it up as it cooks by cooking the pasta in the sauce. But I think that the recipe would be very susceptible to going wrong as a small amount more water or a different brand of pasta and you might not get the sauce consistency you want, and then you'd have to take the pasta out to stop it overcooking whilst you adjusted the consistency of the sauce. And if there was not enough liquid to start with you might not cook the pasta enough before the sauce dried out or became too gloopy. I imagine that you would get better results with fresh pasta than with dried too. [This blog post](http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/05/how-to-cook-pasta-salt-water-boiling-tips-the-food-lab.html) has some interesting investigations into cooking pasta and some of the pictures of the starchy water from pasta cooked in small amounts water show how much starch is coming off the pasta. [![kevins's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/59e282c92a271e80f58a268062619fbf?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/220/kevins) [kevins](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/220/kevins) 5,5654 gold badges37 silver badges41 bronze badges answered Aug 4, 2010 at 14:23 [![Sam Holder's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/343f4aabd790030a01f5f1510218bb7e?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/210/sam-holder) 5 This answer is useful 3 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I tried doing this because I have a very thin sauce and I thought this would thicken it up a bit. The end result wasn't good. The sauce had a starchy taste. I might try cooking the pasta half way then adding to the sauce, but really I should have just cooked the sauce longer to reduced it. answered Sep 27, 2016 at 23:07 [![Bobbie D's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/2791d8cece0395dbfffce089e22049d4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/50874/bobbie-d) This answer is useful 3 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I think it can be done, but the flavour of the sauce seems to be less fresh and a bit 'blunt', which I guess must be either due to the starch from the pasta getting into the sauce, or the pasta itself losing the contrast of its own flavour and texture in the sauce. Personally, I don't really like it. On a separate note, I've tried a similar thing with rice noodles (cooking them in the final broth) and can say hands down, that that is a BAD idea lol. The rice starch flavour seeped into the whole thing; it tasted so bad it was almost inedible. Rice noodles definitely need to be boiled separately in my experience. answered Sep 29, 2016 at 13:45 [![lightawake's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/2791d8cece0395dbfffce089e22049d4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/50922/lightawake) This answer is useful 2 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. For ease of cooking I've made one-pot bolognese before using this as a method. Just throwing in pasta into the pot as the sauce reduces. Less cleaning up to do. Personally, I don't like it as a method, before I prefer to reduce and simmer the sauce for a while, by which point most of the liquid has left the sauce. The pasta requires quite a lot, and so you have to pour in a lot more water. So, generally, this is for when I cook for the kids. They still love it. So, yes, I just throw in the pasta, add some more water, top up and necessary, and it cooks. Takes a little longer than normal too. answered Sep 3, 2010 at 16:41 [![Alex's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/037433291edf015be2bb24d613de181a?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1761/alex) This answer is useful 2 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. You can do this, anyway the effect is somewhat different from the traditional pasta way. I guess that the main problem is the excess of starch. You may think at this like the difference between boiling and stewing. Anyway you can cook pasta as a risotto (a southern italy recipe; pasta patate e prosciutto): sautè diced ham and potatoes in a large pan, add penne and cook like a risotto with chicken stock. The result is a very energetic dish and the pasta flavour is really different from the normal boiled pasta. answered Sep 3, 2010 at 22:20 [![pygabriel's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/5bfe31fdaae579afcfcf22900dab73f4?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1805/pygabriel) This answer is useful 1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I have cooked dried noodles in a very similar way with fresh tomatoes, by putting them in a pyrex pan, putting tomato slices, basil, olive oil, and spices on top, and baking it, covered in aluminum foil. Even with the foil holding in the moisture, it's helpful to pour boiling water into the pan occasionally while baking. As long as the noodles are fully covered with sauce, it will work well. However, you will not have much control over how cooked the noodles end up. You will probably end up with some parts that are overcooked and some that are crunchy. It doesn't bother me. answered Sep 27, 2016 at 23:37 [![margalo's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/440f6b63e3d7e9079f764cc75c8783b6?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/50786/margalo) This answer is useful 1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. There's "[one pot pasta](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VQEJARHJ44)" (Youtube), where you cook the sauce together with the pasta. So, yes, it's possible. answered Mar 3, 2017 at 8:59 [![BaffledCook's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/1a1a30f4c8822565a842b2ac11c33fdd?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/641/baffledcook) 5 This answer is useful 1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. Yes you can! But soak the pasta in cold water first. [The food lab](http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/05/ask-the-food-lab-can-i-start-pasta-in-cold-water.html) explains the idea quite nicely - the point being that hydration (i.e. absorbing water) and the actual cooking are distinct processes that usually happen together, but need not do so. Hence, you can presoak the pasta and then add it to the sauce for boiling for a minute or so. I've tried that and it comes out well if the sauce is actually covering the pasta, i.e. not so much with a "dry" sauce like puttanesca. answered Mar 3, 2017 at 13:17 [![Toffomat's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/bc4059b3d9390ef6b373708a596370af?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG&f=y&so-version=2)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54766/toffomat) This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. i do this all the time! the trick is to reduce the sauce and when the sauce is ready add about 35 oz of boiling water/pack of pasta. i usually have a little boiling water on the side incase the sauce drinks it up too soon. stir frequently\! answered Mar 2, 2017 at 18:35 [![Peggy's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/fce2fedbc5842e8b581103f61163ddef?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/55030/peggy) 3 This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. There are several disadvantages: 1. Any fats from the sauce will coat the pasta and make it much harder to absorb water. Boiling time will be considerably longer, and especially in case of thicker noodles, pasta will be overboiled on the outside and still tough inside. 2. Your pasta will release its starch and while not harmful, it makes the texture bad. 3. Constant, persistent, thorough stirring required through the whole, lengthy boiling. In water, pasta floats, stirred automatically by boiling; only occasional stir is required to peel some random noodles from the bottom. In this sauce, you'd get raw pasta on top and thick layer of coal on the bottom unless you keep stirring all the time, scratching the bottom to remove any sauce and pasta that would burn. 4. Very hard to retain the right thickness. You WILL need to add water as pasta absorbs a lot, and with the starch, and evaporation, would turn your sauce into solid. And if you add too much water, you'll have a soup instead of sauce, and you can't even reduce it because you'll overcook the pasta. 5. Stupid proportions. You'll still end up with something more resembling a soup than a solid dish like typical pasta with sauce - you need considerably more liquid for boiling than the pasta being boiled, and so you'll end up with a lot of sauce and relatively little pasta. answered Mar 3, 2017 at 13:46 [![SF.'s user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/81060fe344980bc9a3273a48b8f3e31c?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/15666/sf) 3 This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. As you may be aware the term "one-pot-pasta" differs exactly to your question - it is a method of cooking pasta where you firstly sautee your veg, make your sauce and then dump in your choice of pasta. All done in one pan, pot or whatever. No need to make a spot on assumption the first time of how much sauce you need to cook your pasta in - just add water if the sauce has thickened before the pasta is cooked completely. You will have to stir however - the sauce can stick (also I feel it slightly lengthens the cooking time). This method makes for a much taste-dense pasta as it is literally boiled in "flavoured" water (sauce). This is practically the only method I use these days - GO AHEAD\! Hope this helps :) answered Mar 3, 2017 at 14:09 [![Adelina's user avatar](https://i.sstatic.net/qMHcJ.png?s=64)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/53591/adelina) This answer is useful 0 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. Not only is it possible to cook your pasta such as macaroni, shells, and just about any pasta directly in the sauce. I add two jars of sauce a can 8oz tomato sauce and the desired amount of water and let it come to a boil then turn it to simmer and it will come out fine. I cook two kinds of meat, add mushrooms, onion let them fry up then add the pasta. Then I add the sauce, tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Let it simmer until the pasta is to your liking. Comes out delicious\! answered Jan 4, 2023 at 1:40 [![Ray's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/2c4a02c73b08d2d8bad4ffd37485db3e?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/102448/ray) 1 This answer is useful \-1 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. I just made some Iron Skillet Pasta. I've never cooked pasta right in the sauce before. Took longer but well worth it! :) It tasted amazing\! Just took longer than a straight boil. Pasta absorbed flavor of sauce. Keep an eye and don't be afraid to keep adding a little water to the sauce so things don't dry out before pasta is al dente. That's the other thing, I nailed the al dente because the window was longer. I cooked it on a low boil. Added parmesan towards the end for creaminess. Sadness, it's all gone. Those that partook said it was 5 Star Pasta :) answered Apr 2, 2013 at 12:52 [![Moshe Tamssot's user avatar](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/518cc7683e84dd87b7baf031e4c29fd2?s=64&d=identicon&r=PG)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/17623/moshe-tamssot) 2 This answer is useful \-3 Save this answer. Show activity on this post. In context to the OP's question: There is only one correct way to prepare pasta. You must have the proper amount of water and it must be salted. At least 6 quarts of water for a pound of pasta otherwise it gets gummy. Salt the water when it begins to boil, use enough salt for it to taste like the ocean. Stirring it is also critical, stir constantly for the first 1 to 2 minutes and at frequent intervals there after. Boil until just Al dente,(about 9 minutes) drain your pasta, always reserve some water for adjusting the sauce. do not rinse or add any oil or butter to your pasta. sauce and enjoy. answered Mar 3, 2017 at 2:09 [![Alaska Man's user avatar](https://i.sstatic.net/rnRDF.jpg?s=64)](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/users/54906/alaska-man) 4 Start asking to get answers Find the answer to your question by asking. [Ask question](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/ask) Explore related questions See similar questions with these tags.
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