To Parboil is to boil partly, or as the Italians say, pasta al dente, which basically means that you don't cook the pasta fully. Reduce the cooking time stated on the packet. When the pasta is cut in half, you will see the centre is not cooked and is white. Immediately drain the water and cool the parboiled Macaroni with cold water. We don't fully cook the pasta for this recipe because it will be cooked again during baking in the oven.