Pasta with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Crushed Red Pepper - Chelsey J

This is a last-minute favorite. It requires only a few common ingredients and very little time. It can easily be upgraded by adding sausage and red bell peppers.

1 pound dried pasta

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup pasta cooking water

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1¼ teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, making sure it doesn’t brown. Add the pasta water, red pepper, salt, and parsley and bring to a boil. Toss with the cooked pasta.

Upgrade: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 pound Italian sausage (casings removed); 1 large red bell pepper (cut into ½-inch pieces)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon, until it’s browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add to the pasta with olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper and toss to combine.