Big thanks to Nicoletta and Eataly for sharing these tips! I personally have been committing some pasta sins for years (like putting olive oil in the water), and now I feel like cooking at home is that much more legit.

After watching this class, I decided to make a "clean out the kitchen" Rotini a la Vodka with veggies and Italian sausage. 

   

   

The tips from the class that I incorporated:

• Salting the boiling water "as salty as the sea" before putting in the dried pasta
• NOT adding olive oil to the water
• Tasting the pasta along the way, rather than relying on the cook time from the box (it came out way better al dente!)
• Heated up the vodka sauce simultaneously (even sauteed up some fresh minced garlic along with the sausage to spice things up)
• Finished the pasta in the sauce, rather than simply dumping the sauce on top at the end  

  

Seems simple, but these tips really did change the flavor and feel of the dish. 

Thanks again! 
Zack