How do you cook whole wheat pasta and what is the best way to enjoy this healthy pasta variant? We tell you all about cooking whole wheat pasta and give you 6 handy cooking tips.
How should you cook whole wheat pasta?
Cooking whole wheat pasta is done in a large pan of boiling water. The first step is to fill the pan with water. Then bring this to a boil and then add the whole wheat pasta. Let the pasta cook in the boiling water until tender. Look carefully on the package to know the exact cooking time of the pasta. Then you can drain it and add it to the pasta sauce.
This is a brief explanation of how to cook whole grain pasta. Of course, there is much more to be said about cooking whole wheat pasta. After all our experience with cooking whole wheat pasta, we decided to put 6 handy cooking tips on paper. Read them below.
Whole wheat pasta cooking tip #1: Cook whole wheat pasta in a large pan.
To cook pasta, of course, you need a pan. But what kind of pan do you choose? Our tip is to always use a large pan. Choose the largest pan you have. This is for the simple reason that it allows the pasta to move around while it cooks. This prevents the pasta from sticking together. With whole wheat spaghetti or other elongated pasta types, this is especially important.
We always use a pasta pan to cook our whole wheat pasta. This is a pan that is specially designed for cooking pasta. And you can tell! A pasta pan has countless advantages and is not only easy, but also very safe. You can cook the whole wheat pasta and immediately pour it off thanks to the handy insert in the pan. This prevents the boiling water from splashing. Want to know more about pasta pans and which is our favorite? Then take a look at our blog: ‘What is a good pasta pan’.
Back to cooking the whole wheat pasta. Fill the large pan with about 75% water. Preferably use warm water as this will save you some time. A handy tip is to use a kettle to boil the water. Then put the pan on the fire and let it boil.
Whole-wheat pasta cooking tip #2: Add some salt to the water
Many people cook pasta without putting salt in the water. It seems like a small step in the whole cooking process, but some salt gives pasta so much more flavor. It makes all the flavors of your pasta dish get a boost and therefore come out stronger. In short: it makes all of your pasta dish much more delicious! We see no reason not to try it out.
If you apply this tip, there is one thing important to keep in mind though. Make sure you do not use too much salt. This can cause your dish to become too salty and that, of course, is not good.
To help you avoid using too much or too little salt, we have a rule of thumb for you. Add about 10 grams of salt per 3 liters of water. In our opinion, this is the ideal amount for a tasty plate of whole grain pasta.
Above we briefly told you about the effect of salt in your pasta dish. Would you like to know more about it? Then read our blog “Cooking pasta with or without salt?” and learn more about this topic.
Wholemeal pasta cooking tip #3: Don’t use a lid while cooking wholemeal pasta
This tip also makes it easier to cook whole wheat pasta. By not using a lid for cooking whole wheat pasta, you ensure that the water will not foam. So just leave it off!
We will explain how this happens. Pasta contains starch and protein. During cooking some of this dissolves. This causes the water to foam. By putting a lid on the pan you exacerbate this process. Our advice is therefore simple: leave the lid off and stir the whole grain pasta every now and then.
Whole wheat pasta cooking tip#4: Keep the whole wheat pasta moving
Like any pasta, whole wheat pasta has a tendency to stick together. Of course, we would like to prevent this from happening. You can easily prevent this by keeping the whole wheat pasta moving while cooking. Stir well through the pan every minute and you will see that the pasta does not stick together.
We, like many pasta lovers, hate sticky pasta. It is one of the biggest annoyances we encounter when cooking whole-wheat pasta. Do you also suffer from this problem? All tips to prevent sticky pasta can be found in our blog: ‘How to prevent sticky pasta’.
As mentioned earlier, stirring the pasta in the pan is very important to prevent it from sticking. Stirring is best done with a spaghetti spoon. Even if you do not use spaghetti, this spoon is super handy. You can use it for all pasta types. Also for wholemeal pasta.
In addition, the spaghetti spoon specially developed for stirring and scooping pasta. For the true pasta lover, a spaghetti spoon is a must-have in the kitchen. Invest in a good spaghetti spoon and you’re guaranteed never to want to do anything else! Here you can read all about using a spaghetti spoon.
Whole-wheat pasta cooking tip #5: Taste the pasta before pouring it off
If you’re in the kitchen often, you know that tasting is a very important part of cooking. This also applies to cooking whole wheat pasta. Once you have cooked the whole wheat pasta, take a moment to taste it to see if you think the whole wheat pasta is cooked enough. Do this about 1 minute before you want to start draining the whole wheat pasta.
Tasting the whole wheat pasta has two major benefits:
You know if you added enough salt to the water. Tasting will tell you if there is enough salt in the cooking water. Do you notice that there is not enough salt in the water? Then still add some salt. If the whole wheat pasta has already been cooked and you notice that there is not enough salt in the water, simply drain the pasta. In this case, you can choose to add some more salt to the pasta sauce.
You find out if the whole-wheat pasta is cooked. By tasting, you will quickly notice if the whole wheat pasta is cooked enough to eat. Some people like pasta that is cooked extra-cooked and others like it more with a ‘bite’. Whole-wheat pasta with a bite is called “al dente”. In this case the pasta is just cooked enough. In Italy, they always cook pasta this way. You can read how to cook pasta al dente yourself in our blog ‘How to cook pasta al dente’.
Once again, tasting whole-wheat pasta before you pour it off is very important. The whole grain pasta plays the main role in your pasta dish. It is a shame not to cook it to your taste. Overcooked or uncooked pasta can ruin your dish. So always taste it!
Wholemeal pasta cooking tip #6: Add the wholemeal pasta to the pasta sauce at once
Our last cooking tip is to add the whole wheat pasta to the pasta sauce immediately after cooking. There are several reasons for this that we’d like to explain to you.
By adding the whole wheat pasta to the pasta sauce right away, you reduce the chance of the whole wheat pasta sticking together after you pour it off.
In Italy they always do this and therefore you will never see pasta with loose pasta sauce. This is also the reason why in Italy they never have problems with sticky pasta. In addition, the pasta mixes well with the sauce so the dish becomes one. Extra tasty if you ask us!
Try it out for yourself and you will see that cooking whole wheat pasta becomes a lot easier.
How long should you cook whole wheat pasta?
This, of course, depends on the type of whole wheat pasta you use. Wholemeal pasta comes in all shapes and sizes these days. You have whole wheat spaghetti and whole wheat penne, but also lesser known pasta forms such as whole wheat ditali and whole wheat elicoidali .
Wholemeal pasta generally needs a little more time to cook than ‘normal’ pasta. Always look carefully on the packaging to find out the exact cooking time of the pasta. You will see that the pasta is cooked just right if you stick to this time. Always taste before draining, as we mentioned in the tips.
The time you need to cook the whole wheat pasta is about the time the pasta is in the boiling water. First make sure the water is boiling and only then add the whole grain pasta. From that point you can set a timer and the cooking time will start.
You’ll notice that after you add the whole wheat pasta, the water is no longer bubbling. You want to make sure that you bring it back to a boil as soon as possible after that. Therefore, turn the gas up as high as possible after adding the whole wheat pasta.
How much whole wheat pasta do you need per person?
It can be difficult to determine the quantity of wholemeal pasta needed per person. This depends on many different factors. We briefly explain how you can determine the quantity of whole grain pasta. If you would like to know more, we refer you to our blog: how much pasta per person.
The difference between whole wheat and non-whole wheat pasta is that whole wheat pasta contains more fiber, vitamins and minerals. So it is very nutritious! This is not only healthy, but also ensures that you are satiated faster and longer. It could well be that you are full faster and that the quantity of pasta you normally use is now suddenly too much.
We therefore recommend using a little less pasta. Where we normally use the rule of thumb of 100 grams of pasta per person, our advice for wholemeal pasta is 80 grams per person. It is of course possible that you are a large or a small eater. If so, we recommend that you adjust the number of grams accordingly.
Of course there are other factors that play a role in determining the quantity of pasta. Would you like to know exactly how much whole grain pasta you need? Then take a look at our blog: how much pasta per person. Here we go into more detail about this topic.
How much water do you use for cooking whole wheat pasta?
We always recommend using plenty of water. This ensures that the wholemeal pasta can dance in the pan and does not stick together. You will often notice that the amount of water used decreases significantly after the pasta is cooked. This is because the pasta absorbs water and therefore becomes softer.
To make it easy, we have a handy calculation. Use about 1 liter of water per 100 grams of uncooked pasta. Keeping this amount allows the whole wheat pasta to dance in the pan and soak up enough water.
We will clarify the calculation with an example. Do you want to cook pasta for four people? Then the formula looks like this: 100 grams of whole wheat pasta x 4 people = 400 grams of whole wheat pasta. Per 100 grams we use 1 liter of water, so 1 liter x 4 = 4 liters of water. Easy right?
This sum shows you the minimum amount of water you need. So make sure you don’t take too little water. It doesn’t matter if you use more water, this will not affect the cooking process of the whole grain pasta.
Using more water does have a small disadvantage: it takes longer to cook. If you have enough time, this does not matter. If you have less time, we recommend using the minimum amount.
Easier cooking whole wheat pasta with a pasta pan
Ever since we started using a pasta pan, we can’t imagine cooking pasta any other way. Cooking pasta has become a lot easier. That’s why we think it’s extra important to mention this tip. Below we explain the advantages we have experienced so far.
Actually, a pasta pan works in the same way as a normal pan. The main difference is that a pasta pan consists of two parts. The pan itself, and a kind of colander that you hang in the pan. With the colander you can easily drain the whole wheat pasta.
A pasta pan is used as follows:
- Fill the pasta pan with water.
- Put the filled pasta pan on high heat
- Wait for the water in the pan to boil
- Add the whole wheat pasta to the boiling water.
- Cook the whole wheat pasta according to the cooking time on the package.
- Once the whole wheat pasta is cooked, lift the colander from the pasta pan. This will ensure that the water flows back into the pan through the holes.
- Drain the whole wheat pasta over the pan and add the whole wheat pasta to the pasta sauce.
As you can read, draining the pasta is a lot easier than using a regular pan. Not only is it easier, but it’s also a lot safer. In our opinion, a pasta pan is indispensable in the kitchen of any pasta lover. There are many different pasta pans available, so make sure you choose the right one. You can read which pan we recommend in our blog: ‘What is a good pasta pan’.
Would you like to know more about using a pasta pan? Then take a look at our blog: ‘How to use a pasta pan’. Here we go deeper into all aspects of using a pasta pan.
Cooking whole-wheat pasta ‘al dente
In Italy they like a ‘bite’ and they actually always cook pasta ‘al dente’. This also applies to the peoples variety. The literal translation of ‘al dente’ is al dente. This means that the pasta is just cooked enough to eat. This Italian tradition is not difficult to master. You just have to know what to do. We’re happy to tell you how to cook whole wheat pasta al dente.
The first step is to find out what the cooking time is for whole wheat pasta. Look carefully on the package and subtract a minute from the time. This is how much time you need to cook whole wheat pasta ‘al dente’. For example: it says on the package of whole wheat spaghetti that you cook the pasta in 10 minutes. Then cook the whole wheat spaghetti for 9 minutes. By doing this you cook the whole-wheat spaghetti just a little less cooked and therefore ‘al dente’.
Taste especially before you drain the wholemeal pasta. This way you can find out if the pasta has the desired bite. Do you think the pasta is too hard? Then cook it a minute longer and taste it again. Just until you like it. Easy right?
In our blog ‘How to cook pasta al dente’ we tell you more about cooking pasta al dente. You will see that cooking pasta the Italian way is becoming easier and easier.
Cooking wholemeal pasta without it sticking
There are many myths circulating about this subject. For example, it is claimed that you should add olive oil to the pasta water and rinse the pasta with cold water. Because of all these stories, many people can no longer see the wood for the trees.
We can be brief about this: these stories are nonsense. Avoid misery and leave these tips behind. We are going to tell you how to really prevent sticky pasta.
It all starts with choosing the right whole grain pasta. Our advice is to always choose a whole wheat pasta made from durum wheat. This ingredient makes for a firm pasta that is less likely to stick together. In our pasta shop, all pastas are made from durum wheat.
After you add the right whole wheat pasta to the boiling water, you need to keep it moving. Stir the pan well every minute so the whole wheat pasta doesn’t have a chance to stick together. But then you’re not there yet.
After you drain the pasta there is a good chance that it will stick together. To prevent this, you must add the pasta to the pasta sauce immediately. This way the pasta sauce will stick to the whole grain pasta and not to each other.
So preventing sticky whole wheat pasta is much easier than many people think. All you have to do is: buy quality pasta, keep it moving and add it right away to the pasta sauce. So you can leave those tricks behind from now on!