01

The pasta water isn't salty enough

This is the most common reason. Pasta absorbs water as it cooks - if that water is bland, the pasta itself is bland, and no amount of sauce fixes it. The water should taste noticeably salty, like a light broth. Most people use a fraction of the salt required.

Fix Use 10g of salt per litre of water. The pasta won't absorb all of it, but it will absorb enough to matter.
02

You're not finishing the sauce with pasta water

Pasta water is starchy, salty, and hot - it emulsifies fat and liquid in the sauce and makes it cling to the pasta rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Most home cooks pour it away without a second thought.

Fix Before draining, scoop out a mug of the cooking water. Add it to the sauce a splash at a time while tossing the pasta through it.
03

You're pouring the sauce over instead of combining it

Plating pasta with sauce ladled over the top produces a dish where half the pasta has no sauce and the other half has too much. The pasta and sauce need to be combined in the pan - briefly - so every piece is coated.

Fix Drain pasta a minute before it's fully cooked. Add it to the sauce in the pan with a splash of pasta water. Toss over low heat for 60–90 seconds.
04

The tomato sauce hasn't been reduced properly

Undercooked tomato sauce tastes sharp, thin, and raw. The natural sugars in tomatoes only develop properly with time and heat. Rushing this step produces a sauce that tastes like something's missing - because it is.

Fix Once all liquid is in, reduce on a steady medium heat for at least 20 minutes. The sauce should thicken and darken slightly. Taste as you go.
05

No fat at the end

Fat carries flavour and gives pasta sauce its richness and body. Most sauces benefit from a small addition of butter or good olive oil at the very end - off the heat, stirred through.

Fix Pull the pan off the heat. Add a knob of cold butter or a generous pour of olive oil. Toss until it's absorbed into the sauce. Serve immediately.