Hong's Recipe
Oil-based pasta takes even fewer ingredients than tomato pasta. Olive oil, garlic, salt, and pasta are all you need for the base, and it’s easy to riff on with whatever’s left in the fridge. But because the ingredients are so simple, emulsifying the oil with pasta water so the sauce clings to the noodles is what makes or breaks it. Here are the shared basics first, then six pastas that are great when you live alone.
Basics for Any Oil Pasta
- Start the garlic in a cold pan: Garlic dropped into hot oil burns on the outside and turns bitter. Put the oil and garlic in a cold pan together and warm them slowly over low heat so the garlic flavor fully infuses the oil.
- Don’t toss the pasta water: The cooking water holds starch and salt, and when you mix it with oil it turns into a cloudy, slightly thickened sauce. Scoop out about a cup before draining.
- Toss it in the pan: After moving the pasta to the pan, add pasta water a little at a time while shaking the pan or stirring quickly with tongs so the oil and water come together (emulsify). If oil pools separately at the bottom of the plate, you didn’t add enough water or didn’t toss it enough.
- Save the good oil for the end: Regular olive oil is fine for cooking. Use fragrant extra virgin oil as a drizzle after you turn off the heat so its aroma stays intact.
1. Aglio e Olio
The foundation of oil pastas. Made with just garlic (aglio), olive oil (olio), and peperoncino, you can make it anytime — even when the fridge is completely empty.
- Ingredients: spaghetti, garlic, olive oil, peperoncino, parsley (optional)
- How to make it: Put the oil and sliced garlic in a cold pan and cook over low heat until the garlic turns light golden. Add the chili briefly for aroma, then add the cooked pasta and pasta water and toss to emulsify. Finish with chopped parsley.
→ Full recipes: Butter Aglio e Olio, Spring Greens Aglio e Olio
2. Tuna Oil Pasta
The most realistic oil pasta for someone living alone — one can of tuna and you’ve got protein too. It’s just aglio e olio with tuna added, so it’s easy.
- Ingredients: spaghetti, canned tuna, garlic, olive oil, peperoncino, parsley, a bit of lemon (optional)
- How to make it: Infuse the oil with garlic and chili like aglio e olio, then add the drained tuna and break it up lightly as it cooks. Add the pasta and pasta water and toss; a squeeze of lemon cuts any fishiness and brightens it up. The tuna is already seasoned, so adjust the salt at the end.
3. Anchovy Oil Pasta
A pasta that draws out savory depth by melting anchovies into the oil. Once they dissolve, what’s left isn’t fishiness but a deep saltiness and umami — one extra ingredient completely changes the dish.
- Ingredients: spaghetti, anchovy fillets, garlic, olive oil, peperoncino, breadcrumbs (optional)
- How to make it: Cook the garlic over low heat, then add the anchovies and mash them with a spatula until they fully melt. Add the pasta and pasta water and toss. Toast breadcrumbs with a little olive oil in a separate dry pan until golden and sprinkle them on top for a nutty crunch instead of cheese.
→ Full recipe: Bomdong Anchovy Spaghetti
4. Vongole (in Bianco)
A pasta where the juices released by the clams mix with the oil to become the sauce. No need for stock — the clams bring all the savory flavor on their own.
- Ingredients: linguine or spaghetti, clams, garlic, olive oil, peperoncino, white wine (optional), parsley
- How to make it: Infuse the oil with garlic and chili, then add the purged clams and wine (or a splash of water), cover, and cook until the clams open. Add the pasta to the clam juices and toss as it reduces, then sprinkle with parsley. The clam juice is salty on its own, so you only need a little pasta water.
→ Full recipe: Shepherd’s Purse Vongole Linguine
5. Pasta al Limone
A light pasta brightened with lemon zest and juice. Easy to eat on a hot day or when you don’t have much of an appetite.
- Ingredients: spaghetti, lemon (zest and juice), garlic, olive oil, Parmesan, black pepper
- How to make it: Add the pasta and pasta water to oil infused with garlic over low heat, toss to emulsify, then turn off the heat. Add the lemon zest and juice, cheese, and pepper, and toss quickly. Lemon juice turns bitter if it cooks for long, so always add it last.
6. Pesto alla Genovese
A sauce made by blending basil, nuts, and cheese with olive oil. Make a batch, keep it in the fridge, and all you have to do is toss it with cooked pasta — especially handy on days you don’t feel like standing at the stove.
- Ingredients: short pasta or spaghetti, basil, pine nuts (or other nuts), garlic, Parmesan, olive oil
- How to make it: Blend the basil, nuts, garlic, cheese, and olive oil and season with salt. Toss the cooked pasta with the pesto and a little pasta water, off the heat. Heating pesto turns the basil dark, so it’s best not to cook it.
→ Full recipe: Basil Pesto Fusilli
