Alright, so the other day I got home from work, totally knackered, and honestly, the thought of cooking something complicated was just… no. But I was craving something Italian, you know? Comfort food, but fast. I remembered seeing stuff about super quick Italian recipes online, things that supposedly take like 15-20 minutes.
I thought, “Okay, let’s give this a real try.” I didn’t want anything fancy. Pasta seemed like the obvious choice. I landed on trying out Aglio e Olio – spaghetti with garlic and oil. Sounds dead simple, right? Almost too simple. And maybe some quick Bruschetta to start, ’cause why not?
Making the Bruschetta First
So, first things first, the Bruschetta. I grabbed some decent bread I had, sliced it up kinda thick. Popped those slices under the broiler for just a minute or two each side until they were slightly golden and crispy. While they were still warm, I took a garlic clove, cut it in half, and just rubbed it all over the toasted bread surface. The heat from the toast makes it super fragrant.
Then, I chopped up a couple of ripe tomatoes, tossed them in a bowl with some fresh basil I had growing on the windowsill (finally used it!), a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mixed that up gently. Spooned this lovely tomato mix onto the garlicky toast. Boom. Starter done in maybe 10 minutes flat. Looked pretty good too.
Tackling the Aglio e Olio
Okay, main course time. I put a big pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti. Salted it well – gotta season the pasta water, always. While that was heating up, I got my garlic ready. Sliced maybe 4 or 5 cloves pretty thin. You don’t want chunks, but not paper thin either, or they’ll burn too fast.
Once the water was boiling, I dropped in the spaghetti. Standard cooking time, whatever the package says. Now, the important part: while the pasta cooked, I heated up a good amount of olive oil in a big pan over medium-low heat. Seriously, keep the heat low. Burnt garlic is bitter and nasty. Tossed in the sliced garlic, and I also added a pinch of red pepper flakes for a tiny bit of warmth. Swirled the pan around, letting the garlic just gently sizzle and infuse the oil. It smelled amazing. You just want it lightly golden, not brown.
When the pasta was almost done (al dente, still a little bite), I used tongs to lift it straight from the water into the pan with the garlic oil. A little pasta water clinging to it is good. I also scooped out maybe half a cup of the starchy pasta water just in case.
Then I tossed everything together right there in the pan. Added a splash of that reserved pasta water to help create a bit of a sauce that coats the spaghetti. Kept tossing it for a minute or so. Finished it off with a big handful of chopped fresh parsley. That’s it. Seriously.
The Result?
Honestly? It was brilliant. The Bruschetta was fresh, crispy, garlicky – a perfect start. And the Aglio e Olio? For something with so few ingredients, it packed a punch. Garlicky, slightly spicy, and the olive oil and pasta water made this simple, glossy sauce. It didn’t feel heavy, just satisfying.
The whole thing, start to finish, maybe took 25 minutes, including the Bruschetta. Cleanup was easy too – just a pot and a pan, basically. Definitely proved that quick and easy Italian is totally doable, even when you’re feeling lazy. These are going into my regular rotation for sure.