Step by step recipe to cook a tasty pasta. Ingredients Water Large pot Pasta Salt Tongs Colander Follow these Steps: Boil water in a large pot. Add salt to the water-1 table spoon or more. Pour pasta into the boiling water, don not break the pasta it will soften within 30 seconds and fill into the pot. As the pasta starts to cook, stir it well with the tongs so the noodles do not stick to each other. Follow the cooking time on the package, but always taste the pasta before draining to make sure the texture is right. Drain cooked pasta into a colander. If you are making a pasta salad, run noodles under cold water to stop the cooking, if serving hot add sauce right away.