How to Cook Perfect Pasta.

Serves 2–3 · Prep: 1 min · Cook: 7–12 min

Make It

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil.

2. Add your pasta and stir once so it does not stick.

3. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Start checking two minutes early, especially with bean pasta.

4. Drain immediately and toss with your sauce straight away.

Notes

• Bean and lupini pastas go from perfect to mushy in about a minute, so set a timer and taste early. Regular pasta is more forgiving.

• Salt the water properly. It is the only chance you have to season the pasta itself.

• Toss with sauce the moment it drains. Pasta left sitting bare will clump.

• Rinsing lupini pasta after draining can reduce bloating if beans are hard on your gut.

• Chickpea, lentil and black bean pastas (Banza, Explore Cuisine) bring their own protein and fibre, which is why the portion is bigger. Lupini (Kaizen) is the lowest in carbs of all. Regular pasta has neither, so it stays small.

• For the full meal, see Protein Pasta.

• Counts as Complex Carbs at ½–1 cup for regular pasta, or 1½–2 cups for bean pasta, which also counts toward your Quality Protein.