This is the traditional Italian recipe for a straightforward but tasty pasta dish. On hectic weeknights, it’s the first thing that comes to mind as fuel for late-night study sessions like “la note prima degli esami” (the night before final exams), as a way to impress a significant other or their parents, when the fridge is empty, or when you just want a light starter to your dinner. In Italy, this is comfort food at its finest.
| Prep Time: | 5 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 25 mins |
| Servings: | 2 |
| Yield: | 2 servings |
Ingredients
- ½ (12 ounce) package thick spaghetti
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, or to taste
- 1 hot chile pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and reserve 1 cup of cooking water.
- Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add chile and garlic; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in 1/4 cup reserved pasta water and stir. Add drained pasta to the skillet and toss. Add extra pasta water if needed to keep the spaghetti moist but not soggy. Mix in parsley. Toss again and plate. Top with remaining olive oil, if desired. Serve immediately.
- I used spaghetti n. 5, a thick spaghetti type.
Reviews
Holy cow. This was absolutely delicious. I doubled the recipe, tripled the garlic and used a habanero pepper. I also couldn’t find N5 spaghetti but did find N4 linguine. Sprinkled with Parmesan and it was amazing.
SIMPLE, DELICIOUS, INEXPENSIVE AND WITH EXCELLENT RESULTS.