I use 6 T (Tablespoons) of liquid (water or broth - broth is yummy!) per one weighed ounce of dry pasta (any kind) per serving. Put everything in a pot - the veggies, herbs and seasonings you want, along with the dry pasta, liquid, and a teaspoon of olive oil per serving. Bring to a boil while gently stirring (or gently tossing if spaghetti-type noodles) so they don't stick together. Change to med/low heat and simmer, uncovered while stirring occasionally until liquid is absorbed (about 8 - 10 minutes). Don't overcook! If you want any meat and/or cheese, add it in at the end (cook the meat separately).
I modified it from this recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/
I've tried it with different kinds of pasta, different veggies, different seasonings - it doesn't matter. The thing I found about the Martha Stewart recipe is that it calls for 12 oz of pasta for four servings which cooks up to a _huge_ (HUGE! 3 oz of uncooked pasta each!) portion per person. Two ounces of dry pasta cooked up with veggies was a really big serving that I could hardly finish (and it's not like I'm a dainty eater). Since then I've been doing one ounce with loads of veggies per serving and that's plenty. I figure if I'm still hungry after that I can have another helping. An 8 oz package of dry pasta will make 3 big (2 2/3 oz each) servings or 6 moderate ones (1 1/2 oz each).
Conversions:
1/4 cup = 4 T = 2 fluid oz;
1 T = 3 t = 0.5 fluid oz;
1 cup = 8 fluid oz = 1/2 pint.
