There are some hard and steadfast rules to making pasta sauce, but there is one surprising ingredient that can really take your noodles to the next level. When you think of pasta sauces, you may only think of tomato or cream, but there's actually another type of sauce that is surprisingly perfect for your pasta dish.

According to Bon Appétit's Amber Lee, oyster sauce makes for a surprisingly perfect addition to pasta dishes, owing to the distinct umami and saltiness of the flavorful sauce. Long used in Chinese cuisine, oyster sauce adds a rounder, more balanced flavor to pasta sauces, without a strong seafood odor.

Lee suggests using it with spaghetti, but you can try mixing it with all types of pasta, just as you would with a tomato-based sauce. Keep in mind, though, that a little bit can go a long way, as Lee recommends adding just 2 ½ tablespoons of the syrupy ingredient.