How to Use al dente in a Sentence

al dente

adjective
  • The prized rice, instead, is carnaroli, which stays al dente much longer.
    — Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 22 July 2022
  • The texture of the onion would be something akin to al dente.
    — Jim Shahin, charlotteobserver, 12 June 2018
  • The grains of rice should be al dente, not mushy, and the mixture should be creamy.
    — Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024
  • These will be bright green and tender when the pasta is al dente.
    — G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
  • The noodles were cooked al dente, with a slight chewiness .
    — Kansas City Star, 17 Jan. 2026
  • Cook until the pasta is al dente, soft with a slight bite to it.
    — Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 20 July 2023
  • There’s a time for al dente pasta, but this is not that moment.
    — Bon Appétit, 9 Sep. 2021
  • The pasta is cooked past al dente, until swoony and soft all the way through.
    — New York Times, 29 June 2022
  • By the end of the 45-minute flight, the pasta was well past al dente.
    — Andrew Chapman, Scientific American, 18 July 2024
  • The apples should be al dente - not turned to mush but not too crisp still either.
    — Carrie Knauer, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 9 Sep. 2019
  • Sear until browned in spots all over and al dente, 2 minutes more.
    — Kitty Greenwald, WSJ, 22 Feb. 2019
  • The shells will end up al dente to just tender, instead of a big pan of mushy food.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2020
  • Do not cook the pasta to al dente for pasta salads.
    — Elizabeth Mervosh, Southern Living, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Each veggie was cooked to a perfect al dente and seasoned just right.
    — Lindsey McClave, The Courier-Journal, 14 Feb. 2018
  • The macaroni was al dente; the creamy cheese melted in my mouth.
    — Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Keep stirring and adding the stock until the rice has thickened and is al dente.
    — Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2022
  • The star here are the pastas, which are all made in-house and cooked perfectly al dente.
    — Christina Liao, Forbes, 10 June 2021
  • The solution is to cook them on the firmer end of al dente to make sure there’s no breakage.
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 29 Apr. 2022
  • Add the carrots to the brine and cook until al dente, for 2 minutes.
    — SFChronicle.com, 26 July 2019
  • Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is just under al dente.
    — Tara Duggan, SFChronicle.com, 30 Oct. 2020
  • Add the pasta and ground beef to the soup at the same time, and cook until the pasta is al dente.
    — Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2023
  • Add the green beans and salt and boil until soft (past al dente), about 20 minutes.
    — Benjamin Kemper, Saveur, 17 Aug. 2023
  • Add the linguine to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
    — Christian Reynoso, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Apr. 2021
  • Once the farro is al dente, drain it in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse with cold water to cool it.
    — Washington Post, 9 July 2021
  • Add the pasta to the boiling water, then cook until al dente.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 3 Nov. 2021
  • To look slim the day of a big event, eat plenty of protein and al dente vegetables.
    — Nicole Catanese, Harper's BAZAAR, 12 Oct. 2015
  • When the pasta is about 4 minutes from being al dente, drop in 8 oz.
    — Hailee Catalano, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Add the noodles and boil until just al dente, 5 to 6 minutes.
    — USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2022
  • Cook soba noodles in the same water, until al dente.
    — Bethany Thayer, Freep.com, 6 Dec. 2025
  • The edamame dumplings were simple, steamed dumplings, filled to the brim with buttery, nutty, al dente edamame.
    — Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'al dente.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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