After I boil and strain pasta it tastes watery unlike rice which can be dry if you don't use too much water.  Is there a way to make pasta dry too? 
Because one of the properties of pasta is the amount of glutens present, the consistency of the pasta is controlled by how long it is boiled... Al dente pasta is achieved by boiling the pasta to the requisite time, and this managing to attain the "almost cooked to the core" quality which will be firm but yet soft and satisfying to the mouth.  Check the packaging for how long to cook the pasta... avoid making starch soup out of your pasta. 