Pasta is one of the world’s best foods. A bowl of pasta can nourish and satisfy like almost nothing else. In some instances, though, soggy, overcooked pasta can be coated in an unappealing sauce, which is a disservice to the true virtue of pasta. So how to avoid this?
The pasta part is easy. Be sure to salt your water heavily — “like the ocean,” as chef Anne Burrell always says — and to cook al dente, even a minute or two shy of the box directions.
In order to marry and unite sauce and pasta, it’s best to finish your pasta in the sauce itself. Let the sauce slightly reduce as it simultaneously enrobes the pasta and also helps finish cooking it. (I do this method for any and all pasta dishes except for a red sauce, to be transparent — but many Italians and Italian-Americans also do it in that case.)
But what to do when you give this finished pasta a taste and find that the sauce is: Lackluster? Uneventful? Nothing special? There are always options.
Too flat?
In this case, you’ll need some sort of boost to bolster your sauce.
Let’s start with salt — simple enough, right? — with just a sprinkling and a good stir. Sometimes, that’s all you need.
If that doesn’t do it, try a crank of freshly ground black pepper, a dash of sumac or a squeeze of lemon. If you don’t have sumac or lemon on hand, you can even try something flashier, like balsamic, Worcestershire, fish sauce, soy sauce or the like.
Wine can add depth, but if added too late, it won’t cook down properly and can make the sauce taste egregiously boozy. You could also melt some anchovies into the sauce, too, if you think that that bite would be a welcome addition.
Also, definitely add a Parmegiano-Reggiano rind, if you have one on hand. I love doing this with all of my sauces; it adds a barely-there salinity, umami and savory note, a familiar flavor profile running through the sauce — which is then further emboldened if you serve said sauce with pasta and some extra grated Parm. on top. You can’t beat that. (Just be sure to fish out the rind at the end, before serving).
In some cases, a bit of grated cheese stirred into the sauce (plus a garnish on the finished bowls) will help round out the seasoning aspect. Also, always remember that balance is key to all dishes. Don’t over-season the sauce, forgetting that you’ll be adding more cheese at the end — or that your over-seasoned sauce may actually balance out with your under-seasoned pasta, for example.
Balance is the goal, regardless of how you achieve it.
Too thin?
If your acidic and flavor components seem great, but your consistency is off, you just need to reduce a bit more. Crank the heat up a bit (but make sure there is no pasta in your pan, just sauce!) and let the sauce reduce for a good 3 to 4 minutes, swirling the pan here and there.
Not rich enough?
This is an easy fix. You can always throw in a touch of cream or half-and-half or — of course — a few pats of butter. Be sure not to crank your heat up too much or your sauce might break (in which the fats separate from the rest of the sauce, leaving an unappealing layer of melted butter or broken cream atop your otherwise lovely sauce).
Other options here are crème fraîche, mascarpone, fromage blanc, etc. Be sure, though, to keep your heat low when adding these dairy products.
Not enough textural contrast?
Your best bets here are chopped nuts or breadcrumbs.
In terms of other textural bites, fresh herbs added at the end, dried or dehydrated fruits or citrus zest also work. But those won’t be as big and bold as, say, toasted walnuts or buttered breadcrumbs.
Of course, some dishes may have protein additions, vegetables or accoutrements, so in those cases, additional texture over and above might muddy the dish on the whole. Sometimes pasta is comforting because it doesn’t have a crispy, crunchy aspect, with the softness of the pasta and sauce one of the most familiar, reliable components. So keep that aspect in mind, too!
Too heavy?
This is a simple one: Merely add a splash of starchy cooking water, plain water or even a bit of stock or broth to help loosen up the richness. Reduce just a bit more and you should be good to go!
Too one-note?
I’m not a spice guy by any means, but if you are a heat seeker, don’t hesitate to use some red pepper flakes to spruce up the flavor of your dish — or chilies, cayenne pepper or whatever other incendiary ingredients you might have on hand. Pasta Arrabbiata is an immensely popular dish for a reason, so if heat is your game, then feel free to make your sauce a super hot one.
Looking to spruce up store-bought sauce?
If you’re looking to enliven jarred sauce or some plain tomato puree, you can never go wrong with enriching the latent flavors. In a pan, warm up some olive oil and add a few chopped shallots or a half a large onion, well minced. Once it's translucent, add in some chopped garlic and let it toast until fragrant, about 30 seconds or so. Add your sauce, let warm through, then spruce up with some of your favorite chopped fresh herbs. I have a vitriolic distaste for dried herbs in my sauces, but if you love them or they’re all you have on hand, go for it!
Final notes
Always save some pasta water before draining. It’s the key to emulsifying the sauce.
It can help by bringing the whole dish together — adding starchy cooking water as you finish your sauce helps unite the disparate pasta and sauce. It also deepens some of the flavor inherent in both, as well as aiding in the consistency of the final result by helping with the emulsification process. Then, you end up with a sauce that is rich, creamy and enrobes the pasta beautifully.
Also, unless you’re reducing your sauce, try to keep your heat at low or medium-low for all of these suggestions.
With these tricks, no pasta sauce will ever be lackluster again. Just rich, balanced, glistening and ready to impress.
