Years ago my brother’wife, from Italy, made some spaghetti. No meat, no tomato sauce. I think it just had olive oil and garlic, maybe some thyme. Please give me such recipe.
Very good for different add-ins too. I’ll often add broccoli and sun-dried tomato (more for the Mrs., because I think it is fabulous as-is)
That is what Willis is talking bout!* And I just happen to have a tub of freshly grated parmesan and pecorino romano cheese to sprinkle on top.
Obscure reference, who remembers?
Not that obscure to an old fart like me.
I make it with half butter instead of all oil. Toss in lots of sliced onion and and some broccoli, cook until the onion is clear. For leftover angel hair I toss it with butter and nuke it then sprinkle with grated parmigiana and ground pepper. Simple is good. Dennis
too late for me to do that, but definitely will add butter next time. As Willard Scott said, “I put butter on butter.”
Thanks for the Aglio e Olio recipe. As a huge fan of spaghetti (I actually usually make thin spaghettini) I’m definitely giving that one a try.
My understanding, though, is that in traditional Italian cuisine, spaghetti is just one course in a multi-course meal (or a side dish), and generally followed by a meat dish. So large quantities of spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs piled on top as a complete meal is largely a New World invention. Still love the stuff, though, as long as the pasta sauce and meatballs come from my wonderful little Italian groceteria. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio would seem to need to be accompanied by something else – perhaps at least something like a chicken Caesar salad on the side.
Just missed the edit window …
ETA: Hmmm… one of the things I picked up on my last visit to said Italian grocery was a couple of peri-peri marinated spicy chicken kabobs, with onions and peppers. One of those on the plate with spaghetti Aglio e Olio (instead of sprinkling pepper flakes on the spaghetti for heat) sounds lovely! 
D Odds already got it but I will post this Binging with Babish video making Aglio e Olio where he makes the dish from the movie “Chef”.
It is an insanely delicious dish and, from a standing start to the table, you can make this in less than 30 minutes (I’d say maybe 20 minutes all told if you are efficient…15 minutes of that is boiling water and cooking the spaghetti).
This dish…just…it can get you laid in the right circumstances. It is that good.
And all of six ingredients (I think). Inexpensive, fast, insanely delicious. The only thing not shown is Parmesan grated over it. It does not need it but I love Parmesan so I use it. Also, good Parmesan cheese is expensive. Otherwise this dish can be dirt cheap to make.
speaking of simple things, I happened to see this the other day on a food site, and just made it. Tomato slices, with salt and pepper, drizzled with olive oil, topped with parmesan reggiano, baked for 15 minutes.
Now I want to make a pizza using those tomatoes. A while back there was a TV show of Catch-22, maybe on Netflix. It was ok, but there was one scene where a the supply seargent, Minderminder I think, had a tomato that he gave to a lieutenant or someone. But before he could bite into into it, Minderminder said “wait a minute.” And he pulls out a bottle and says, “This is olive oil, the Italians put in on everything.” And he drizzles some olive oil on the tomato with some salt, and the lieutenant bites into it and says, “Good God!”
Well I am sure part of the reaction was based just on having a fresh tomato in a war zone. But a tomato and olive oil, and garlic, the base of many of the world’s greatest foods.
I saw that movie, it was pretty good. It inspired me to make the Cubano sandwiches, which I still haven’t done. But that pasta dish, I could do it. Don’t know if it is going to get anyone laid, unlesss you happen to have Scarlett Johannson hanging around in your apartment.
By itself it will not do that. Assume a lot of groundwork has been done and you are close.
It has worked for me. Would I have gotten laid anyway? At that point…probably. This just…helps.
Food can be sexy and this is a sexy dish.
As an aside the serving fork used in the Babish video I linked is the same one used in the movie “Chef”. John Favreau gave it to Babish.
The only thing I disagree with is the plating thing. Twirl up the paste into a pyramid and put it on the plate. I usually don’t like that kind of thing. Make, I don’t know, pork chops with gravy with a sauce and rice. Put the pork chops on top of the bed of rice. Or on top of mashed potatoes. What does one do when eating that? Move the pork chops to the side. I undersand food not only has to taste good but look good.
I agree! The food always looks likes it’s in too awkward of a position to eat. I’d have to deconstruct the whole plate.
The other day, I cooked up some Walmart brand meatballs in a skillet, then tossed in some spaghetti i have boiled the day before. Added a little more olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and fresh basil.
Pretty damned tasty.
yeah I got some meatballs from Aldi, stuffed with parmesan, simmered in some beef broth, added a little corn starch slurry at the end to thicked, very good. Would have been good with spaghetti. Trader Joe’s has good meatballs but so does Shop Rite.