Pantry spaghetti at its most essential: gently golden garlic, olive oil, chili, and pasta water form a glossy coating around the noodles. Parsley finishes the dish. Fast, inexpensive, and simple, but entirely dependent on not burning the garlic.
Thinly slice the garlic and chop the parsley. Use the pasta in spaghetti form. Have everything ready before starting: once the garlic reaches the oil, this recipe moves quickly and there is little time for extra prep.
Bring the water to a strong boil in a large pot, add the salt, and cook the pasta until 1 minute short of the package's al dente time. Before draining, reserve about 150 ml of the cooking water; it should look slightly cloudy with starch.
While the pasta cooks, place the virgin olive oil, garlic
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Transfer the nearly al dente pasta to the skillet and add about 80 ml of the reserved cooking water. Toss vigorously for 1 minute, adding small additional splashes only if needed. The water, starch, and oil should form a glossy, lightly creamy coating, with no puddle of oil left in the pan.
Turn off the heat, add the parsley, and toss for a few seconds. Serve immediately. The spaghetti should be al dente, loose, and glossy, with clear garlic and olive-oil flavor and restrained heat; neither dry nor swimming in oil. 🍝
