Aglio e Olio Express Pasta

# Components:

→ Pasta

01 - 7 oz dried spaghetti

→ Infused Olive Oil

02 - 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

03 - 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

04 - 1 tsp red chili flakes

→ Garnish

05 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

06 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

07 - Sea salt, to taste

08 - 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.

02 - Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced garlic and sauté gently, stirring frequently, until fragrant and just golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Avoid burning the garlic.

03 - Stir in the red chili flakes and cook for 10 seconds to release their flavor.

04 - Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet. Toss well to coat, adding reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.

05 - Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat, toss with chopped parsley, and transfer to serving plates.

06 - Optionally, top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -

Ten minutes from craving to plate, which means no guilt about ordering takeout on a busy night.
Tastes like you've been cooking for hours, even though you haven't left the stove.
The kind of dish that works for a late lunch alone or dinner for two without any fussing.

02 -

Don't let the garlic burn; it's genuinely the only thing that can go wrong, and burnt garlic tastes like regret.
The pasta water is not an afterthought—those starch molecules emulsify with the oil and create a sauce where there isn't really a sauce.

03 -