13 Pasta Tips We Learned From Giada De Laurentiis

Giada De Laurentiis knows a thing or two about great pasta, as she's been a reliable source for easy and accessible Italian cuisine for nearly two decades now. Food played a large part in her childhood, planting a culinary seed that later blossomed into the Emmy award-winning celebrity chef she is today. With a cozy charm and infectious smile, Laurentiis strips traditional dishes down to the bare essentials without losing authentic taste. From basic staples like spaghetti to Italian classics like pasta alla Gricia, she puts the "al bacio" into home-friendly recipes. 

With only a few simple ingredients, anyone can quickly whip up a restaurant-quality pasta dish. Pasta perfection comes with a catch though — it's as easy to perfect as it is to get wrong. Whether your noodles are stuck in a sticky situation, or your marinara is more gnarly than merry, there's a few things you can learn from De Laurentiis. She has the sauce, and know-how, to help any burgeoning home chef elevate authentic Italian food. Below, we've put together a list of tips that will turn your pasta dreams into reality, all while saving you extra time and money.

Nothing makes pasta feel more authentically Italian than when it's made from scratch. The very act of it exudes a sense of fine dining, impressing hungry onlookers and sparking conversation. While fresh pasta isn't always better than dried varieties, knowing how to make it from scratch is a skill every serious home chef should have. If only to enjoy the taste of the real deal from time to time. For De Laurentiis, the key to delicious pasta at home is quality ingredients.

Pasta only requires a few ingredients: flour, olive oil and/or eggs, and salt. With so few components, she emphasizes the importance of making sure that each is top-notch. Purchase the high-priced olive oil you typically give the side-eye. Find out whether you prefer organic or free-range eggs. Use a finely-grained flour that's ideal for kneading. She promises the satisfying experience that awaits is worth the extra effort. Along with quality ingredients, De Laurentiis also lists workspace, because making pasta from scratch requires decent-sized kitchen counters. To round out the list, her third and final important key to excellent pasta is to weigh your ingredients. Without the proper measurements, you run the risk of ruining your homemade pasta.

Whenever pasta-ble, food should never go to waste. You'll save time, money, and energy by making recipes that put leftovers to use. This is especially true for pasta noodles, which are commonly cooked in larger batches than available sauce. How many times have you opened your fridge, wondering what to eat, only to scan past the leftover spaghetti? You can avoid having to perform a "sniff" test by plotting out multiple recipes for your extra uncooked pasta.

Although your travels may begin with fettuccine alfredo, you can easily plan a visit to baked ziti, or divert to chicken noodle soup. There's an endless array of flavor destinations you can take leftovers to. You'll not only save time, but you'll also keep things interesting too, all without leaving the comfort of your kitchen. In Italy, when your fridge is filled with leftover pastas, it's common to combine the various types. It's called "pasta mista," or mixed pasta, and even popular brands blend and box together random cuts. Next time you're scratching your noodle about what to do with leftover pasta, try this tip.

Somewhere along our culinary timeline, a genius introduced cheese to pasta, altering reality as we know it. For something now considered normal, it must've been groundbreaking at the time. Hailing from a lineage of Italian cuisine connoisseurs, it makes sense that De Laurentiis knows the best way to add cheese to pasta. The tip was passed down by her grandfather, who she lovingly refers to as "Nonno." Before adding pasta to your sauce, you should grate cheese into your pasta. Never the other way around.

According to her, the idea originates from how Neapolitans used to make pasta. For a meltier, more evenly delicious experience, add grated cheese to fresh and warm un-sauced noodles. De Laurentiis prefers using Parmesan, but grated mozzarella, ricotta salata, or any cheese of your choosing will taste just as good. Another great thing about this method is that melted cheese helps sauce stick to noodles better, you'll discover its melty goodness in every bite. As you can see, and taste, the little things always make all the difference.

If only we could instantly make any recipe we desired with a snap of the finger. Tearfully, since none of us are Merlin, we must find ways to speed up the cooking process — without sacrificing flavor of course. Le Cordon Bleu training aside, De Laurentiis knows the importance of simplifying and saving time in the kitchen. That's why she thinks one-pan pasta is a great time-saving way to prepare meals. When you're caught in a time-pinch, using only one pot reduces dirty dishes and cooking time.

Being a celebrity chef with a busy schedule, it makes sense that De Laurentiis would enjoy one-pot cooking. One recipe she's shared is the savory pasta alla formiana, which includes robust tomato sauce, peppery garlic, earthy olive oil, and aromatic oregano. It takes an hour to cook, but only six minutes to prepare. Another popular one is her one-skillet lasagna, made with spicy Italian sausage, tangy shallots, finely minced garlic, trimmed broccoli rabe, and three types of cheese. Each recipe takes only around an hour with minimal clean-up afterward. They're also awesome for stretching meals for tomorrow's dinner.

A recurring ingredient you'll find in Italian cuisine is cured pork. From creamy carbonara to spaghetti al guanciale, it's a savory meat that's a welcomed addition to any pasta party. Sadly, since many of us aren't blessed to reside within walking distance of an Italian deli, finding specific meats can sometimes be hard. While many traditional Italian classics may call for guanciale, the preferred cured pork of central Italy, you can still enjoy a palate-pleasing pasta alla Gricia with other types.

Chef De Laurentiis knows how to find accessible guanciale substitutes for pasta recipes. If your local grocery store only carries a general selection, bacon is a more than delicious enough alternative. Although more specialty, pancetta should be fairly easy to come across as well, adding the porky depth you desire. It'll be hard to notice the only difference, which is that pancetta comes from pork belly, while pork cheek makes guanciale. They're not only great flavor substitutes, but if you're on a budget, each also costs less than guanciale.

Pasta's delicious versatility extends to fresh and light salads too. Pasta salad not your cup o' noodles? Fret not, Chef De Laurentiis has a tip sure to win you over. Let's face it, pasta salad can be hit-or-miss. At every summer gathering it's a game of Russian roulette. From puddles of dressing to overly al dente rotini, it can often taste like an afterthought. Could it be a result of ease and familiarity? Laurentiis sure seems to think so.

To spruce up her summer pasta salad, she simply uses a different type of pasta noodle. In her Sardinian Pasta Salad recipe, Laurentiis opts for fregola over the routine rotini. Fregola is a small spherical-shaped pasta, often called Sardinian couscous. Originating on the island of Sardinia, it carries a unique texture that's similar to couscous, yet also dense and chewy. They're a great substitute for the typical pasta salad noodle, don't take long to cook, and have an exciting and unique mouthfeel.