The texture of cooked pasta is one of the key factors influencing the end use quality of durum wheat. It is well documented that protein concentration is important to pasta cooking quality. However, the relationship between gluten strength and pasta texture is complex and inconclusive. The objective of this study was to elucidate the impact of protein content, gluten strength, and their interaction on pasta cooking quality. Composites of three Canadian durum varieties (Brigade, CDC Verona and Kyle, representing strong, moderate strong and weak gluten, respectively) at various protein levels (11, 13, 15, and 17%) were prepared from 2017 harvest samples submitted by producers. Durum samples were milled into semolina using a four stand Allis-Chalmers laboratory mill, and spaghetti was produced with a customized micro-extruder and dried at 85°C. Pasta samples were cooked at fixed time of 8 min, fully cooked time (FCT, disappearance of white centre core), and over-cooked time (FCT+2 min). Textural properties were measured with TA-XT2i texture analyzer. For pasta made from durum with low (11%) and very high (17%) protein, gluten strength exhibited a minor impact on pasta firmness while the quantity of protein played a dominant role in texture at all three cooking times. The increase of wheat protein content from 11 to 17% resulted in ~75% higher pasta firmness for all three cultivars. Interestingly, the significant impact of gluten strength on pasta firmness was demonstrated in durum samples with medium (13%) and high (15%) protein contents, accounting for 40 to 52% variation in peak cutting force. Strong (Brigade) and moderate strong (CDC Verona) varieties had similar pasta firmness, but the weak (Kyle) variety showed significantly softer texture, particularly at longer cooking times. These results showed that impact of gluten strength on pasta firmness is protein content dependent. Pasta extruded from semolina with low or very high protein content will have a non-continuous gluten matrix (not enough to cover starch granules during cooking) or a very extensive gluten matrix, respectively. The impact of gluten strength on pasta texture is minimal at these two ends of protein content. The beneficial effect of moderate to strong gluten on pasta cooking quality was revealed at medium to high protein levels, commonly seen in commercial durum production in Canada. Developing durum wheat varieties with medium to high protein potential coupled with moderate to strong gluten is crucial to produce pasta with superior cooking quality.