Pasta Turned Up a Notch

I kid you not this is the most heavenly and easy pasta recipe that you will ever encounter. It is tasty enough to serve to company and you will probably never go back to eating plain pasta again. I have to admit that the simple pasta dishes, those that use only a few ingredients, are usually my favorites. Not that there is anything wrong with the fancier ones, but they are usually less healthy and make me feel pretty guilty after eating them. I found this recipe on Pinterest (of course) via Yumsugar. This is a traditional Italian dish and I am pretty sure it will become a staple recipe for me. I can almost guarantee that you will have all the ingredients on hand... there are only 6. You will need pasta, olive oil, garlic, red chili pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  From my experiences in Italy, I found they have a very unique perspective on food. It isn't about taking the ingredients and smothering the flavors, it is about celebrating each one and using it in a way that combines well with other ingredients, but still keeping each individual flavor in tact. This dish does exactly that.

All you have to do is cook the pasta until it is al dente (which is a lot shorter than I usually cook mine) and then top with the rest of the ingredients. I guess that means I overcook mine, but to be honest I put it on the stove and don't use a timer (maybe something I should consider using). I used a spinach and chive linguine from Trader Joes, which had a great aroma when you pulled it out of the package. After the pasta is done, drain it and mix in with one clove of minced garlic, red chili pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste. I made the whole package so I could have leftover pasta, but I was only making one serving so the spices were all to taste. First of all the aroma was intoxicating and just made you feel good inside. But the flavor was even better! There was heat from the red chili pepper flakes and a spiciness from the garlic, but it wasn't so much that it killed your taste buds. The pasta was yummy as well and the subtle chive flavor added an onion flavor to the dish. It was so yummy and I urge everyone to try it because this is one of the simple things in life that you need to take a moment to enjoy. Besides it take all of 10 minutes to make, so there's really no reason not to try it.