Salt your pasta water! Before you add the pasta to the boiling water, salt it heavily so that it tastes as salty as the sea. Yes, I’m serious. That means you’re going to be adding A LOT of salt to it. Don’t worry, most of the salt gets left behind in the water when you drain the pasta. But adding the salt before you cook the pasta is really going to ensure that your pasta is as flavorful as it can be.

Cook the pasta just until al dente and not a moment longer. I usually set the timer for one minute less than the lowest recommended cook time. So if it says “boil for 8-10 minutes” I set my timer for 7 minutes and start testing the noodles right at 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove a noodle, blow on it until it’s cool enough to eat and then taste it! You’re looking for the pasta to be tender but still have a bit of a bite.

Use fresh garlic, Parmesan and parsley for this recipe! You can mince the garlic, grate the Parmesan and chop the parsley while your pasta is cooking so it really doesn’t add much to the prep time. However, the flavor that freshly minced garlic, freshly grated Parmesan and freshly chopped parsley are going to add to this super simple dish is unparalleled. If you’re more of a “jar of minced garlic, pre-shredded Parmesan and dried chopped parsley” kind of gal, that’s totally okay in a pinch. But if you have time, work with fresh ingredients!