During our daily morning meeting today, I mentioned that it is World Pasta Day. Upon doing so, one of my co-workers said that she had made the most fantastic pasta last night that was really light and simple, and tasted so good. She said it only had 5 ingredients. Right away I knew she was talking about spaghetti aglio e olio; spaghetti with garlic and oil.

This recipe is very easy. Every man, especially a young bachelor, needs to have this recipe in his recipe repertoire. As long as he doesn’t burn the boiling water, he is sure to impress a young lady with his cooking skills.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced, or more to taste
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
Grated Parmigiano or Pecorino Romano

Directions

Bring 6 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Meanwhile, sauté the garlic and red pepper flakes in the oil until the garlic begins to brown. Turn off the heat (the garlic will continue to brown; you don’t want it to over-brown and become bitter).

When the spaghetti is done, drain, return to the pan, and drizzle the oil mixture over the spaghetti. Stir until evenly combined. Sprinkle the grated Parmigiano or Pecorino Romano on top and serve.