Good pasta depends on two stages: cooking the noodles correctly and finishing them with the sauce. Use the symptom to find the missed step.
Pasta is sticky
The pot may have been too small, the pasta may not have been stirred early, or it may have sat after draining. Stir during the first minute and move drained pasta directly into the prepared sauce.
Pasta is mushy
It cooked too long or continued to sit in hot liquid. Taste before the package time ends and finish the last minute in the sauce when appropriate. Mushy pasta cannot be made firm again, so use it promptly rather than cooking it further.
Pasta tastes bland
Season the cooking water and the sauce in stages, then taste the combined dish. Acid, salt, herbs, cheese or a flavorful cooking liquid may be missing. Diagnose the entire dish with How to Fix Bland Food.
Sauce slides off
Finish the pasta in the sauce and add starchy cooking water gradually while tossing. A sauce that is too thin needs reduction; a sauce that is too thick may need a splash of cooking water.
Sauce pools at the bottom
The sauce may be too watery or the pasta-to-sauce ratio may be off. Simmer briefly and toss so the sauce emulsifies and clings.
Return to the pasta method, choose a combination with Pasta and Sauce Pairing, then practice with Easy Pasta Meals.