Spelt pasta, how do you cook it exactly? Cooking spelt pasta is not difficult at all and takes little time. But in order for you to do it completely flawlessly and in the Italian way, we have 6 handy cooking tips for you!
How to cook spelt pasta?
Spelt pasta is cooked in a large pan of boiling water. The first step is to fill the pan with water. This you bring to a boil and then you can add the spelt pasta. Cook the spelt pasta in the boiling water. On the package you will find the exact cooking time of the spelt pasta. After draining you can add the spelt pasta to the pasta sauce.
This may sound easy, and it is! Yet there is much more to be said about cooking spelt pasta. We have put 6 handy tips on paper for you. Read these tips below.
Spelt pasta cooking tip #1: Cook spelt pasta in a large pan
To cook spelt pasta you need a pan of course, that’s the case with any pasta. There are many different kinds of pans. It can therefore be difficult to choose the right pan.
We recommend always using the largest pan for cooking spelt pasta. This gives the spelt pasta enough room to move around during cooking. This is important so that the pasta does not stick together so easily.
A large pan is therefore already a good step. But you can do it even easier: with a pasta pan! We use them all the time and will explain why they are so handy.
Perhaps the biggest advantage is that you can immediately drain the spelt pasta. The pasta pan has an insert that serves as a colander. This way you can quickly and easily drain the pasta water. It also prevents the water from splashing, making it a lot safer!
Want to know more about pasta pans and which one is our favorite? Then take a look at our blog: ‘What is a good pasta pan’.
To cook the spelt pasta, you need to fill the pan for about 75% with water. A good tip is to use warm water. In this way you save time because the water does not need as long to boil. Want to be really quick? Then bring the water to a boil in advance with a kettle.
Spelt pasta cooking tip #2: Add some salt to the water
This tip will make your pasta dish even tastier! By adding salt to the cooking water, all the flavors are enhanced. If you add salt more often, you know what we’re talking about.
But how much salt should you add? You want to avoid using too much salt and ruining the dish. That’s a shame! So pay attention to how much salt you add to the water.
To get you started, we have an easy mnemonic for you. This allows you to add enough salt to the water, but not too much. For 3 liters of water you need 10 grams of salt. Stick to this and use it to season the spelt pasta perfectly.
We have told you briefly about the effect of salt in your pasta dish. Would you like to know more about this? Then read our blog “Cooking pasta with or without salt?” and read more about this topic.
Spelt pasta cooking tip #3: Don’t use a lid while cooking spelt pasta
Some people use a lid in the hope that the pasta will cook faster. Do not do this! The lid creates foam on the water which causes a lot of mess. It is best to leave the lid off; less is more.
Why does the water foam? This has everything to do with the ingredients of spelt pasta. The protein and starch in the pasta cause it to foam. By using a lid you only aggravate this process. Without the lid on the pan it is also a lot easier to stir the pasta. Why this is so important is explained in the next tip.
Spelt pasta cooking tip #4: Keep the spelt pasta moving while cooking
Any pasta tends to stick together, including spelt pasta. Very annoying if you ask us. Fortunately, there is an easy way to prevent this: keep the pasta moving.
You do this by stirring the pasta every minute or so.
Do you hate sticky pasta as well? There are many more tips to prevent sticky pasta. You can read all about it in our blog: ‘How to prevent sticky pasta’.
Stirring the pasta in the pan is very important to prevent sticky pasta. Use a spaghetti spoon to stir. You can also use the spaghetti spoon if you are cooking another form of pasta.
A spaghetti spoon is not only easy to stir, but also to scoop up the pasta afterwards. The spaghetti spoon is specially designed for this purpose. This makes the spaghetti spoon a real must-have for lovers of Italian cuisine. Try it out for yourself and you will find that you do not want to do otherwise. Read all about using a spaghetti spoon here.
Spelt pasta cooking tip #5: taste the spelt pasta before pouring it off
Cooking involves tasting! It is perhaps the most fun and important part of cooking. You judge your cooking skills and can still adjust some things. This is also the case when cooking spelt pasta. Taste the spelt pasta about 1 minute before pouring it off.
Tasting spelt pasta has two major benefits:
You can taste whether you have added enough salt.
By tasting the pasta you can immediately see whether the pasta water is salty enough. If it is not, add some more salt. If you have already cooked the spelt pasta, you can add some extra salt to the pasta sauce.
Taste whether the spelt pasta is cooked enough.
How cooked you like your pasta is personal. Some people like hard pasta and others like soft pasta. Of course, it also depends on the dish you are making with it. In a salad, for example, it is best to cook the spelt pasta ‘al dente’. Then the pasta has a ‘bite’ and is cooked just enough to. To eat. Did you know that in Italy they eat all pasta this way? You can read how to cook pasta al dente yourself in our blog ‘How to cook pasta al dente’.
These are two reasons why it is so important to taste spelt pasta before you drain it. The spelt pasta plays the main role in your pasta dish. So taste it well!
Spelt pasta cooking tip #6: Add the spelt pasta immediately to the pasta sauce
Often people are used to serving the spelt pasta and pasta sauce separately. Try adding it to the sauce at the same time. This is delicious and has many advantages!
Firstly, you reduce the chance of the spelt pasta sticking together. By adding the pasta to the pasta sauce immediately after draining, the sauce sticks well to the spelt pasta. This gives the pasta little chance to stick together.
In addition, it ensures that the dish becomes one. The spelt pasta and sauce mix well. Therefore, every bite has the right ratio between pasta and sauce.
We recommend trying it out for yourself sometime. We deem the chances high that you won’t want to do it any other way. Long story short, add the spelt pasta to the pasta sauce right after you drain it.
What is spelt pasta?
We’ve told you all about cooking spelt pasta. But what is it really? Spelt is an ancient grain known for its nutrients. Because it contains many nutrients, spelt is very healthy.
Spelt pasta is popular because it is so healthy, but also because it contains less gluten than white pasta. As a result, the pasta is easier to digest for many people.
Spelt is rich in vitamin B3 and contains more minerals such as copper, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc. But also proteins and multiple, unsaturated fatty acids.
All these nutrients are more present in spelt than in wheat. Yet we are careful with these statements, because recent studies show that the differences are minimal. That does not alter the fact that spelt pasta is healthy anyway. A responsible choice!
How much spelt pasta do you need per person?
To answer this question, we look at several factors. The dish you want to make with the spelt pasta plays a big role. Are you using a hearty, well-filled pasta sauce?
Then choose to use a little less spelt pasta. Of course, the opposite also applies: use more spelt pasta for a light sauce.
For a sauce in between, we recommend 125 grams of pasta per person. If you are a large or a small eater, you can of course adjust this quantity.
There are other factors to take into account when determining the quantity of pasta. If you would like to know more, we refer you to our blog: how much pasta per person.
How much water do you use for cooking spelt pasta?
It is very important to use enough water when cooking spelt pasta. This allows the pasta to dance in the pan, and it will not stick together. Don’t be surprised if you notice that the amount of water has decreased after cooking the spelt pasta. This is because the pasta sucks up the water and therefore cooks until tender and soft.
Do you find it difficult to determine the amount of water? Then use our easy mnemonic. For 100 grams of pasta, you need 1 liter of water. In our opinion, this is the ideal amount of water in which the spelt pasta can dance and cook until tender.
To make it clearer, we’ll give you an example. Suppose you have three guests and want to cook for them. Including yourself, you are cooking for four people in total. 100 grams of spelt pasta x 4 = 400 grams. Per 100 grams, we use 1 liter of water, so 1 liter x 4 = 4 liters of water. Easy right?
This sum shows the minimum amount of water you need. If you use more, this is not a problem. It is important not to use less water because this will negatively affect the cooking process.
Using a lot of water does have a disadvantage: it takes longer to cook. If you have a lot of time, this of course is important. Do you have less time? Then choose to stick to the minimum amount of water.
Easy spelt pasta cooking with a pasta pan
Cooking spelt pasta has become a lot more fun and easy since we started using a pasta pan. You can use it for spelt pasta, but also for any other kind of pasta. We’ll tell you the benefits we’ve noticed since we started using a pasta pan.
A pasta pan looks like a normal pan, but still there is a big difference. In fact, unlike a normal pan, a pasta pan consists of two parts. The outside of the pan and an insert that looks like a colander. The colander makes it very easy to drain pasta.
A pasta pan is used as follows:
Fill the pasta pan with water.
Put the filled pasta pan on high heat
Wait until the water in the pan boils
Add the fusilli to the boiling water.
Cook the fusilli according to the cooking time on the package.
Once the fusilli is cooked, lift the colander from the pasta pan. This will ensure that the water flows back into the pan through the holes.
Let the fusilli drip out over the pan and add the fusilli to the pasta sauce.
Using a pasta pan is a lot easier than a regular pan. Not only is it easier, but it’s also a lot safer. A very big advantage if you ask us. There are many different pasta pans available. 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 the use of 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 spelt pasta without it sticking
We and a lot of other pasta lovers hate sticky pasta. There are all kinds of stories circulating that would prevent this. It is advised to add olive oil to the pasta water. Rinsing the pasta with cold water would also prevent sticking.
None of this is true! So leave these tips aside and avoid a lot of trouble. We are going to tell you how to prevent pasta from sticking.
Both stories are not true. So leave these tips behind and avoid a lot of trouble. We are going to tell you how to prevent really sticky pasta.
To begin with, it is important that you choose the right spelt pasta. Good quality spelt pasta does not fall out but stays intact. This also ensures that it will not stick together.
In addition, you must keep the pasta moving while cooking. Do this by stirring the pasta in the pan every minute. In this way the spelt pasta does not get the chance to stick together.
After you drain the pasta, it has a tendency to stick together. Prevent this from happening at the last minute. It is very simple: add the spelt pasta directly to the pasta sauce. This way the pasta sauce sticks to the pasta and it doesn’t get the chance to stick together.
As you read, preventing sticky pasta is much easier than you might have thought. All you have to do is: buy quality pasta, keep it moving and add it to the pasta sauce right away. So you can leave those tricks behind from now on!
The right dish for spelt pasta
Spelt has a recognizable taste. You can taste the difference between spelt and wheat, for example, very well. Pasta with spelt has a slightly nutty and earthy flavor. If you like this taste, it is super delicious to use spelt pasta in a pasta dish.