Tomato, Olive Oil & Garlic Pantry Spaghetti

Ingredients

Egg-free, Nut-free, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Soy-free

5 minutes preparation time + 15 minutes cooking time

4-6

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, finely sliced, grated, or crushed (see garlic notes below)
Pinch of chili flakes or Aleppo pepper flakes, to taste
1 x 400g can good quality crushed tomatoes (also known as 'tomato polpa')
Pinch of sea salt, to taste
500g dried spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Extra virgin olive oil for finishing, optional

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Place a large frying pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes. Sauté for a minute or two until fragrant.
Add the can of crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add a pinch of salt to taste.
Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer while you cook the spaghetti.
Cook the spaghetti for 2 minutes less than the package instructions.
Using tongs, transfer the spaghetti directly into the pan with the sauce, adding a few spoonfuls of starchy pasta water as you do.
Toss the spaghetti in the sauce over medium to high heat, adding more pasta water as needed to keep the sauce loose.
Once the spaghetti is cooked to your liking, remove the pan from the heat. Add a generous handful or two of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss to combine.
Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
Serve topped with more freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and freshly cracked black pepper.

NOTES

Notes on Garlic: For this recipe, you can either thinly slice the garlic or crush or finely grate it using a microplane. Each method provides a slightly different flavour, and I use both regularly depending on the flavour I want or what I feel like washing up—the chopping board or the microplane, ha. Grated or crushed garlic has a more pungent, strong garlic flavour throughout the sauce. In contrast, sliced garlic provides a milder overall flavour with occasional pops of garlic, and the thin slices look lovely in the sauce.
If you have fresh basil on hand, feel free to add a big handful to the sauce or top the spaghetti with it at the end. I usually do this in the summer when I have fresh basil growing in a pot on the deck.
If your tomato sauce tastes a little tart or acidic, try adding a small pinch of sugar and give it a taste. Sometimes a small pinch of sugar is perfect for balancing the flavours and bringing a more well-rounded taste to the sauce.
When adding cold crushed tomatoes to the warm olive oil, the sauce can sometimes split or not emulsify properly. Don’t worry; when you add the spaghetti and some of the starchy pasta water, it will all come together.