Photo by James Ransom Test Kitchen-Approved Author Notes When I don’t want to cook, I cook pasta. Specifically, this pasta, with my favorite ingredients. We used spaghetti here—a shoutout to traditional aglio e olio—but use whatever you have around, be it curly cavatappi or whole-wheat penne. If it’s smothered with anchovies and olive oil, it’ll…
- Test Kitchen-Approved
Author Notes
When I don’t want to cook, I cook pasta. Specifically, this pasta, with my favorite ingredients. We used spaghetti here—a shoutout to traditional aglio e olio—but use whatever you have around, be it curly cavatappi or whole-wheat penne. If it’s smothered with anchovies and olive oil, it’ll be (kisses fingertips) great. —Emma Laperruque
Test Kitchen Notes
Featured in: The Pantry Pasta Formula for No-Time-to-Cook Nights —The Editors
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Prep time
20 minutes -
Cook time
10 minutes -
Serves
3
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons
kosher salt, plus more to taste
1
bunch parsley leaves, chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup
chopped oil-cured olives
6 tablespoons
olive oil
1
(2-ounce) tin anchovies, drained of oil and minced into oblivion
3 tablespoons
drained capers, roughly chopped
2
big garlic cloves (or 3 small), peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon
red pepper flakes
12 ounces
spaghetti
2/3 cup
grated parmesan (or pecorino)
Directions
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Set a big pot of water on the stove over high heat to come to a boil. When it does, add the salt.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine the parsley, olives, olive oil, anchovies, capers, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a big bowl.
- When the water is boiling, add the pasta. Cook until al dente (I like to start tasting noodles after 8 minutes). Use tongs to transfer the pasta to the bowl with the sauce. Toss. Season with salt to taste (you probably won’t need it, but always good to check).
- Serve with the cheese alongside for everyone to sprinkle on top.
Emma is the food editor at Food52. Before this, she worked a lot of odd jobs, all at the same time. Think: stir-frying noodles on the fly, baking dozens of pastries at 3 a.m., and writing about the history of pie in North Carolina. Now she lives in New Jersey with her husband and their cat, Butter. Stay tuned every Tuesday for Emma’s award-winning column, Big Little Recipes (also the cookbook in October 2021!). And see what she’s up to on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.