When I was growing up, Mom always serve spaghetti by placing a pile of plain, undressed noodles on a plate, and topping it first with a ladle of spaghetti sauce and then a snowfall of grated parmesan. (Honestly, that is still the way I like it best.) However, this iconic image from middle America isn't the traditional (or even the best) way to serve spaghetti.  For the best flavor outcome, the hot, drained pasta should be tossed with some of the hot pasta sauce, allowing it to absorb the flavors. Your cooked pasta shouldn't have to heat up the sauce, and your pasta shouldn’t sit in hot water slowly getting mushy.