
This is a crazy-easy and delicious recipe from Naples that’s perfectly suitable for a quick dinner or part of a more elaborate meal.
There are a gazillion versions of this online, and mine is a more garlicy version than some. This recipe makes two servings—4 oz of pasta per serving.
What you’ll need
- Table salt
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 0.25 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 0.25 – 0.75t crushed red pepper flakes. More = spicier
- 0.25 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Freshly- and finely-grated parmesan, for serving (optional)
What to do
Prepare all of your ingredients before you begin to cook.
Salt some water in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Cook the pasta, per its instructions, to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, combine the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a medium frypan. Put the pan on a medium-hot burner and cook the garlic, swirling the pan every so often. Cook until the garlic just starts to turn golden. (If the garlic gets overdone, it will be bitter. Start again, with new ingredients if that happens.) Add about half of the parsley and stir it until it becomes fragrant—30 seconds or so. Immediately remove the frypan from the heat.
When the pasta is cooked, reserve a half-cup of its cooking water, then use tongs to transfer the pasta to the garlic skillet and toss until the pasta, garlic and sauce are well combined. If the pasta is too dry, add a teaspoon of pasta water at a time and mix it in.
Season with salt, if needed, then add the remaining parsley and toss well. Plate the pasta while hot and top with some parmesan, if desired.

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