When I was a kid, I thought there were only four ways to eat pasta.
1. With marinara sauce and the Kraft Parmesan cheese from the ubiquitous green container (you know the one).
2. With copious amounts of Alfredo at Olive Garden.
3. With butter and the aforementioned Parmesan cheese.
4. With the cheese from the packet, butter and milk.
In fact, it wasn’t until I stumbled upon Giada DeLaurentiis’s cooking show back in 2005 that I realized pasta’s full potential. It didn’t have to be heavy with Alfredo or marinara sauce (although I still love both), and thanks to the magic of salty pasta water, you could make a “sauce” in a matter of seconds. Like for this Pasta Aglio E Olio that’s pictured.
All you need is five ingredients, and you can achieve true dinner bliss with a little help from your pantry. And because it’s such an easy recipe, it’s highly adaptable. You want to add some leftover chicken or shrimp for protein? No problem. Have a bit of pancetta or bacon left over from a different meal? Go for it. The only important thing about this recipe is the fresh garlic. It truly makes this pasta.
And if you’re not sold yet, just watch Jon Favreau make this for Scarlett Johansson in the movie Chef and tell me you’re not hungry for this dish. I could pretty much go for some right now, and it’s only 10:15 CST.
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