How to Cook Fusilli Pasta

Co-authored by Julien Miller and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: January 26, 2024 References

If you’ve ever eaten a small, spiral-shaped pasta with tomato sauce, you’ve probably enjoyed fusilli pasta (also called rotini pasta in the US). Fusilli pasta is easy to make and fun to eat, and there are tons of different recipes you can use with your cooked pasta. Try out Fusilli Alla Caprese for a modern twist on spaghetti and tomato sauce, or make Lemon Fusilli with Arugula for a creamy, zesty sauce to enjoy during the summer months.

Ingredients

Fusilli Alla Caprese

1 lb (0.4 kg) of fusilli pasta
2 cloves of garlic
3 cups (384 g) of cherry tomatoes
1 tsp (4.2 g) of salt
1/2 tsp (2 g) of ground black pepper
1/2 cup (64 g) of fresh basil
8 oz (1.25 cups) of fresh mozzarella

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

1 lb (0.4 kg) of fusilli pasta
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups (470 mL) of heavy cream
Lemon zest
Lemon juice
2 tsp (8 g) of salt
1 tsp (4.2 g) of black pepper
1 bunch of broccoli
1/2 lb (0.22 kg) of baby arugula
1/2 cup (64 g) of grated Parmesan cheese
1 pint of cherry tomatoes

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Boiling Fusilli Pasta

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1
Fill a pot with 6 to 8 US qt (5.7 to 7.6 L) of water. Grab a large pot and fill it up with water from the tap. You don’t have to be precise in your measurements, but you should use enough water to cover all of your pasta (and then some).^{[1]
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- Go for the biggest pot you have in your kitchen to start with—that way, you won’t run out of room.
2
Sprinkle 1 tsp (4.2 g) of salt into the water. Salt helps to lower the starch in the pasta and make it less sticky (so your noodles don’t form one giant clump in the pot). Again, you don’t have to be exact with your salt, but it helps to put about 1 tsp (4.2 g) in your water.^{[2]
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- Adding salt to your water is good practice for any kind of pasta you make.
- Fusilli pasta is smaller than other kinds of pasta, meaning it’s more likely to clump together and stick.
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3
Turn the stovetop on high and wait until the water boils. Depending on your particular stove, this could take 5 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on your pot and watch for large bubbles rising to the surface to tell when your water is boiling.^{[3]
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- If you add the pasta in too early, the water won’t be hot enough to cook it, and it could end up soggy.
4
Drop 1 lb (0.4 kg) of fusilli pasta into the boiling water. For 6 to 8 US qt (5.7 to 7.6 L) of water, add in 1 lb (0.4 kg) of pasta. Drop it in carefully to avoid splashing hot water onto yourself, and keep an eye on the pot to make sure it doesn't boil over.^{[4]
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- If it looks like your pot might boil over, turn the heat down just slightly.
5
Cook the pasta for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Grab a wooden spoon and stir the pasta every few minutes, focusing on scraping it up and off the bottom of the pot. If you want your pasta al dente (slightly undercooked), cook the pasta for 10 minutes instead.^{[5]
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- Some recipes call for al dente pasta, but you can change it up based on your preference.
6
Drain the pasta and scoop out ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of pasta water. Carefully measure out ¹⁄₂ c (120 mL) of the pasta water to use in your recipe later. Grab your boiling pot of water and carry it over to a strainer, then pour it through. Shake the pasta out to get rid of the excess water, then dump the pasta into a bowl.^{[6]
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- A lot of sauce recipes call for a little bit of pasta water to thicken them up. Plus, it adds a hint of salty flavor.
- If you aren’t making sauce or you’re using an oil-based sauce, don’t worry about saving any pasta water.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Fusilli Alla Caprese

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1
Saute 2 minced garlic cloves for about 2 minutes. In a medium skillet, heat up 3 tablespoons (44 mL) of olive oil on medium heat. Chop up 2 cloves of garlic until they’re minced, then sauté the garlic until it’s golden brown.^{[7]
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- Small garlic chunks like this cook quickly, so keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
- You can also buy pre-minced garlic from the store if you don’t want to spend a ton of time chopping.
2
Add in tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Measure out 3 cups (384 g) of cherry tomatoes, then chop them up into quarters. Add those into the skillet along with 1 tsp (4.2 g) of salt and 1/2 tsp (2 g) of ground black pepper.^{[8]
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- You can always add more salt and pepper if you’d like!
3
Smash the tomatoes with a fork as they soften. After 1 to 2 minutes, the tomatoes will start to break down and soften. Grab a fork and smash them until your pan looks like a thick, chunky sauce, which usually takes about 4 minutes.^{[9]
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- If the fork isn’t working for you, you can also use a potato masher.
4
Pour the sauce into the pasta bowl. Once your sauce is chunky enough, pour it into your bowl of pasta. If the pasta has cooled down at all, the hot sauce will warm it up, so you don’t have to worry about eating chilly noodles.^{[10]
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- Be careful! Hot sauce can splash out of the bowl and burn your exposed skin.
5
Throw in a few basil leaves and mozzarella cheese. Chop up 1/2 cup (64 g) of fresh basil until it’s in small, bite-sized pieces, then put that into your bowl. Add 8 oz (1.25 cups) of fresh mozzarella to top it off, then combine the sauce and the pasta using serving spoons.^{[11]
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- You can save some of the mozzarella to add as a topping once you serve your pasta, too.
6
Add the pasta water ¹⁄₄ c (59 mL) at a time. If your pasta is a little dry, grab your pasta water that you saved and add it slowly, stirring it in with a serving spoon. Once your pasta is moist, you can pour the extra pasta water down the drain.^{[12]
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- If your pasta with sauce is fine on its own, you don’t need to worry about adding the pasta water.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

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1
Saute 2 cloves of minced garlic for 1 minute. Chop up 2 cloves of garlic until they’re in small, minced pieces. Heat up 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of oil in a medium skillet on medium heat, then sauté the garlic for about 1 minute, or until the pieces are golden brown.<
- Garlic pieces brown fast, especially when they’re that small. If you turn away for even a second, your garlic might burn!
2
Add in cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. In the same skillet, pour 2 cups (470 mL) of heavy cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice from 2 lemons, 2 tsp (8 g) of salt, and 1 tsp (4.2 g) of black pepper. Watch the sides of your skillet closely to make sure the liquid doesn’t spill out as you pour.
- If you don’t want to juice your own lemons, you can use 10 tablespoons (150 mL) of store-bought lemon juice.
- To zest a lemon, hold a grater over your skillet and rub the outside of the lemon on it. Do this over the outside of both lemons until the bright yellow rind is dull and scraped up.
3
Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn your stovetop up to boil the mixture (you can tell it’s boiling when large bubbles rise to the top of the liquid). Turn the heat down until your mixture is simmering, then leave it uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes.
- The goal here is to thicken your sauce, so if you need to leave it a little bit longer, you can.
4
Cook broccoli florets for 3 to 4 minutes in a separate pot. Cut up 1 bunch of broccoli until all you have are the tops (also called the florets). Boil a small pot of water, then cook the florets for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they’re soft.^{[13]
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- You can also buy broccoli florets on their own if you don’t feel like chopping them yourself.
5
Drain the broccoli, then rinse it with cold water. Take your broccoli over to the sink and pour them through a strainer. Rinse the pieces with cold water, then set them aside to use later.^{[14]
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- It’s important to cool the broccoli down with water so they stop cooking. If they stay warm, they might end up soggy.
6
Pour the pasta into the sauce mixture, then heat it on low. Grab your fusilli pasta that you already cooked and pour it into the sauce mixture. Turn the heat down to low, then stir the mixture up until the pasta and the sauce are combined, for about 3 minutes.^{[15]
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- Combining the pasta and sauce while they’re warm will make your sauce much smoother.
7
Transfer the pasta to a bowl, then add arugula, Parmesan, broccoli, and tomatoes. Pour your skillet contents into a large bowl, then add 1/2 lb (0.22 kg) of baby arugula, 1/2 cup (64 g) of grated Parmesan cheese, your cooked broccoli, and 1 pint of halved cherry tomatoes. Make sure your broccoli is drained well so you don’t add a bunch of liquid to the mix.
- If you’d like a little more lemon flavor, you can slice up 1/2 a lemon (take off the rind first) and add it into your pasta mixture as well.
8
Toss the pasta mixture to stir it all together. Use your serving spoons to combine your mixture, and try not to let any fly out of the bowl! Serve your pasta while it’s still warm to wow your friends and family.^{[16]
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- This is a great dish to serve during the summer since it’s so lemon-flavored and zesty.