There's an obvious, but not always intuitive, difference between dried pasta out of the box and cooked, dehydrated pasta. One needs to re-hydrate *and* cook vs the one already cooked that just needs to re-hydrate.
Over at Serious Eats, there's an explanation of the science behind cooking pasta, and I think the technique described there is applicable to backpackers. It might not be new to everyone, but I'd never thought of it in quite the way they describe it.
Basically, you can soak raw pasta in lukewarm water for 30 minutes or so to re-hydrate (they used macaroni), and after that cooking the soaked but raw pasta only took a minute or two. Huge savings on fuel compared to cooking boxed pasta according to the package directions.
This opens up new options for resupply and meals on the trail. Buy a box of pasta and some fresh veggies and have at it. Maybe some Angel Hair with zucchini and yellow squash, dressed with olive oil and herbs that you probably already carry. Or add some dehydrated Ro-Tel and chopped summer sausage to soaked macaroni.