This simple pasta dish makes a great side dish, and also a great, quick, last minute dinner all by itself. This is our go-to dinner when we do not feel like cooking, or when we are short on time. This is also a great comfort food dish.
TIPS: I prefer this dish with angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti. You can add more garlic if you love garlic, and can up the amount of red pepper flakes as well for more kick. Garlic really makes the dish so do not cut back on it too much. The finished product is not saucy, rather drier with a nice coating of the garlic oil. Occasionally I add chopped basil at the end. This is also the basis for my recipe for “Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta”. Stirring roasted cherry tomatoes with the garlic oil into the pasta adds amazing flavor.
Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil
Ingredients
- 1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 -1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2-3/4 lb angel hair, thin spaghetti or spaghetti pasta
- 1/2 C parmesan grated
Instructions
- Bring 3 quarts of salted water to boil over high heat. Once boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 1 minute less than instructions. Turn off stove, and drain pasta into a collander and return the empty, dry pot to the stove.
- Meanwhile, in a seperate very small saucepan, pour olive oil into the pan, and turn stove on to medium heat. Stir in minced garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook just until garlic starts to sizzle and smell good, about 30-45 seconds once oil has heated up (do not let garlic get too brown as it burns very quickly). Remove from heat quickly. Stir or whisk tomato paste into the oil.
- Add drained pasta back into the larger pot and toss with the oil mixture until well combined.
- Add in most of the grated parmesan cheese (saving some to sprinkle over top) and stir vigorously to mix in. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve topped with more parmesan.
- Enjoy!