Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. tubular pasta (such as calamarata or rigatoni) in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Step 5Add pasta and ½ cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce. Cook, stirring often and adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until sauce is thickened and coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Editor’s note: This pasta alla Norma recipe was first printed online in July 2022; it has been updated for style.