Stop Smothering Angel Hair Pasta With Sauce. Here's Why

For many years, foodies have been sneering at angel hair and dismissing it out of hand as the kind of pasta that will always disappoint you. That doesn't have to be the case, though. Just like there are no bad dogs, only bad owners, there are also no bad noodles, just bad cooks. Yes, angel hair haters, it's time to accept that some (if not all) of the blame lies with you. Such delicate noodles were never meant to hold up to those heavy sauces you insist on drowning them in.

To get the best out of these light, thin noodles, don't even think of burying them in Bolognese. Marinara and Alfredo are likewise too heavy. Instead, angel hair is perfectly suited for aglio e olio made the authentic way — this means no cream, just olive oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic. You can also serve these noodles topped with cherry tomatoes that have been simmered for just a few minutes with fresh herbs and garlic or with a pasta sauce made from canned crab and caramelized tomato paste. Pesto and primavera sauces are other light options that work well with angel hair. They can also take the place of rice vermicelli in stir-fry dishes such as Singapore noodles.

One of angel hair pasta's selling points is that it cooks so quickly. Most dried pasta needs about 10 minutes in the pot, plus whatever time it takes to boil all that water. Angel hair, however, can be done in far less time. In fact, it probably cooks even more quickly than you think since the directions on the box may be misleading. For this reason, many of us may have been overcooking our angel hair pasta for years, which no doubt contributes to its unpopularity.

To boil angel hair pasta so it's actually al dente, subtract one minute from whatever the box says. Give it two if the directions say it'll be done in three minutes. While some recommend boiling it for just 30 seconds less, the residual heat will keep it cooking even as it drains, so it's best to err on the side of less time. This is especially true if you add the pasta to a sauce still in the pan.

One method of cooking angel hair pasta even lets you skip the time-consuming step of boiling a pot of water. Instead, you put the noodles into a pan with just enough water to cover them and simmer while stirring continuously. Yes, it's pretty hands-on, but the pasta will be done in under five minutes. Since it absorbs all the liquid as it cooks (you'll probably need to add more), you can even swap the water for broth or wine to make it extra-flavorful.