Why You Should Start Making Pasta With A Dutch Oven

Most home cooks are familiar with the conventional way of cooking a pound of pasta. Bring a big stainless-steel pot of salted water to a boil, add your favorite boxed brand, cook it until an al dente texture is achieved, and drain. It's so simple, even a child could do it.

But the best cooks, like the ones from this MasterClass article, will tell you that the pasta should be tossed in the sauce before it has reached an al dente texture and continue to cook there. This method also gives the pasta a chance to soak up the flavors of the sauce. However, if you try this method using a shallow pan, there's a good chance you'll find yourself in the middle of the sauce splash zone. The sides of most pans are not high enough to contain a pound of pasta, plus the amount of sauce you need to coat it properly.

This saucy scenario can be prevented by using a Dutch oven, according to Bon Appétit. The high sides of a Dutch oven are perfect for keeping that sauce where it belongs, in the pot and not on your clothing or all over your stove. Dutch ovens are also perfect for keeping the food at the ideal temperature when you're ready to serve it. Nobody likes a cold plate of spaghetti.

A recipe for a One-Pot Creamy French Pasta Bake found on Mashed is recommended to be cooked in a Dutch oven and eliminates the steps of boiling the water to cook the pasta and draining it after. Cooking everything together in the Dutch oven gives the flavors a chance to combine and the pasta to absorb the savory broth. A bonus of using the Dutch oven this way is that it can prevent you from having to dirty every pan in the kitchen. What could be easier?

Dutch ovens are incredibly versatile, and while you may have used one while camping, have you ever tried cooking a spaghetti dinner over the campfire? This video demonstrates how you can add all the ingredients — sauce, spices, onions, and uncooked spaghetti — right into the Dutch oven and let it slowly simmer, letting the sauce do the work of cooking the pasta. You'll be thankful for this convenient and easy hack when it's time to feed a bunch of hungry campers.