On your mark, get set... spaghetti!

Our favorite Italian pasta producer, Rustichella d'Abruzzo, has just come out with a speedy new spaghetti that cooks to perfectly al dente in only 90 seconds.

90" Rapida Spaghetti is made the old-fashioned way: crafted with best quality semolina and pure water, extruded through bronze dies and slowly dried at low temperatures. It's the innovative shape — thanks to a new patented bronze die — that allows for quick cooking without affecting flavor. (See how the strands at right are slightly U-shaped? The gaps close up during boiling.)

Here's the thing: After the 90 seconds are up, Rapida must be drained immediately and quickly tossed in sauce, which means you need to be ready with that sauce as soon as the water is boiling. It seems like you might be in a hurry, so without further ado:

Simple Sauces

To make while the water boils

1. For spaghetti aglio e olio in a flash, mix together some olive oil, minced garlic, red pepper flakes and chopped fresh parsley.
2. Try an easy cheese sauce of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, butter and ground black pepper. The heat of the pasta will melt it all together.
3. In tomato season, whip up a no-cook tomato sauce in the blender. Out of season, substitute jarred tomatoes for the fresh.
4. Make a quick pesto with sun-dried tomato and black olives, or use pre-made Pesto Genovese.
5. Heat up a jar of delicious sauce from Rustichella d'Abruzzo. Boil the spaghetti for just 70 seconds, as it will continue to cook in the warm sauce. 

We think this groundbreaking spaghetti is a delicious time saver. But don't just take our word for it, read what the New York Times has to say.