Al dente refers to the desired texture of cooked pasta in Italian cooking. It literally means “to the tooth”. When the pasta is cooked al dente, there should be a slight resistance in the center when the pasta is chewed.

Here are a few recipes where pasta is requered al dente:

Baby marrow linguine with creamy mussels

Fiorelli pasta with smoked salmon and cavi-art

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino

Seafood pasta salad

Pasta with braised cauliflower and broccoli, rosemary and olives

Creamy butternut pasta