How to Make a Really Friggin' Good Bowl of Pasta

Once the pasta is cooked and drained, drizzle it with extra-virgin olive oil. Italians (at least the many I've witnessed cooking) finish their pasta off with olive oil. It adds richness, silky texture, and incredible flavor.

Recipe featured: Spaghetti aglio, olio, e peperoncino

You know what's practically as easy as buying jarred tomato sauce? Making homemade tomato sauce, and it tastes infinitely better and doesn't really require much effort (if you pick a simple dump-and-simmer recipe like the one pictured).

Recipe featured: 3-ingredient tomato sauce

Caramelize garlic cloves in olive oil, then pour the pan contents over cooked pasta. This combo alone tastes incredible — but it can also add a wow factor to tomato sauces.

Recipe featured: Caramelized garlic pasta

Sometimes pasta texture can be a little monotonously chewy, but sprinkle some breadcrumbs toasted in olive oil over the top of your dish, and you've instantly gained a crunchy contrast. This yummy topping is also hilariously dubbed poor man's parmesan.

Recipe featured: Pasta with pesto and roasted tomatoes

Don't — we repeat — don't buy preshaved parmesan (or pecorino romano) cheese. It's typically lower quality, and by the time you open the package, it's dried out and less flavorful. Instead, buy a chunk from the cheese section and use a box grater or microplane to shave it over the top of your pasta.

Recipe featured: Linguine with kale and chickpeas

An instant flavor bomb to any pasta dish (in both creamy and tomatoey sauces) is bacon or pancetta. And for a visit to heaven, reserve the rendered fat and drizzle it over the pasta like olive oil.

Recipe featured: Bacon and tomato pasta

Once you've tried freshly ground black pepper, you'll never consider buying shaker pepper again. It adds a hint of spice and roasted flavor to a pasta dish.

Recipe featured: Pasta carbonara