Recipe-less Summertime Spaghetti

This dish is my go-to, easiest, comfort-food, lazy meal. I’ve made this so many times, I could probably make it with my eyes closed. It takes as much time it does for your pasta to cook, and makes a delicious fresh sauce.

I call it summertime spaghetti because it uses cherry tomatoes - we all know tomatoes should only be bought in summer…

As usual, with recipe-less recipes, I give you the basic ingredients and you judge how much of each ingredient you need.

prep/cooking time: 10-15 mins

Main Ingredients

Spaghetti - or any pasta

cherry tomatoes, cut into half if too big

garlic, crushed

olive oil

pasta water

Additional Optional Ingredients

Herbs - basil, parsley, chives

Red chilli flakes or fresh chilli

Cheese or nutritional yeast

Toasted breadcrumbs

Method

1. In a cold pan, add a good glug of olive oil, the crushed garlic, cherry tomatoes and chilli, if using. Bring the pan to medium heat, and immediately cover the pan with a lid. This will create blisters on the tomatoes, they will start to soften, and the garlic will cook off. After 4-5 minutes, remove the lid, and with the back of a spoon or spatula, press down onto the tomatoes to flatten and release their juices; there should be barely any resistance. If the tomatoes are still hard, let them cook longer.

3. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and let the tomato juices and garlic mingle. This will create a light sauce.

4. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add in your pasta and cook the pasta 2 minutes under al dente.

5. When the pasta is 2 minutes under, Scoop out some of the pasta cooking liquid and set aside. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce.  

6. Turn the heat up high under the sauce, and toss the pasta and some pasta water into the mix. Let the sauce and water emulsify to create a luscious texture, . Remove from the heat, season with salt and toss in your herbs, if using. Serve straight away with some cheese, nooch, or toasted breadcrumbs.