How to Love Cooking & The Easiest Pasta Recipe Ever

While it might not be one of the protein-maxxing meals we’ve all been led to believe we should be eating, this remarkably easy Pasta Pomodoro recipe is one of my favorite things to eat all year round. It’s especially delicious during the summer months when tomato’s are at peak ripeness and all you want is something fresh, easy and delicious.

Some may think a pasta pomodoro is boring or basic, but there’s something so satisfying about a piping hot bowl of perfectly al dente pasta, evenly coated in a silky, acidic-yet-creamy sauce that tastes like an afternoon in Ischia.

I began cooking when I was maybe 11 or 12 years old. I grew up in a house full of women who cooked extremely well. My mum was and still is an incredible cook and my grandma and aunt owned a Filipino bakery that served traditional Filipino dishes along with sugary pastries and elaborate wedding cakes. Food has always been a big part of my family, as it is in most Asian households. Holidays are spent cooking everything from scratch, time together ALWAYS involves food and our love language is cooking your favorite meal and feeding you until you can barely move. Looking back, I feel so fortunate that I was fed a home cooked meal every night and had a packed lunch to take to school everyday. Now that is luxury.

When people say they don’t like cooking, I generally think it’s just because they didn’t grow up with anyone who truly loved it. Sure, cooking can be a chore— it’s time intensive and can be stressful and overwhelming. But for me, there’s nothing better than seeing people I love enjoy the food I put my heart and soul into making for them— I have a rule that I won’t cook for anyone I don’t actually love or care about. With the growing popularity of food delivery services, I fear that cooking will become even more of a lost art. And due to the compulsive need for us to “optimize” our lives and our time, I’ve no doubt that it will soon become the least of our priorities. Let’s not let that happen ok?

I know sometimes when people say a recipe is easy you might think “for WHO?”. But this one actually is, and you only need a few ingredients, most of which you already have at home. Now, I’m no pasta making expert, but I’ve tried dozens and dozens of pasta pomodoro dishes from all over. I’ve tried making this recipe a handful of different ways but this is the one I could eat every day if I had to.

I don’t measure anything when I cook, so I’ll give approximate amounts for the ingredients but don’t worry too much about it. Cooking is all about tasting as you go and unlike baking, most things can be estimated and easily corrected.

Ingredients:

• Cherry tomatoes

• Garlic

• Olive oil

• Tomato paste

• Salt

• Black pepper

• Pepperoncini

• Pasta (any shape)

• Fresh basil

• Salted butter

• Parmesan

Start by boiling your pasta water. For pasta shape, anything can work with this recipe. My personally favorite is Chitarra (a square shaped spaghetti), a classic Spaghetti, Gemelli or Casarecce. Once it’s boiling, add a ton of salt (you want it to taste like the sea).

I start with a stainless steel pan (try not to use non-stick but if it’s all you have, it’ll work). I then wait until it’s sizzling hot and add a healthy amount of extra virgin olive oil, I’d say roughly half a cup or however much you want. I’ll then reduce the heat to low and add about 2-3 gloves of smashed garlic and 2-3 dried peperoncino finely sliced. I like a lot of spice and these are key. Regular crushed red pepper flakes won’t give the same amount of heat that these will.

• Dried Peperoncino: Specifically refers to dried hot peppers native to Italy, most commonly the Calabrian pepper.

• Crushed Pepper: Usually a generic, commercial blend of various hot peppers, predominantly cayenne, combined with milder bell or jalapeño peppers.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste and give it a good stir until it all starts to melt into each other.

I’ll then add 10-15 CHERRY tomatoes sliced in half, not grape (skin is too thick and they’re less sweet) while the garlic is still white- you don’t want to burn the garlic so quickly add the tomato’s right after to avoid burning it.

Wait until the tomatoes cook down and their skins start falling off (I remove the skins but you really don’t have to). Add in 1-2 tablespoons of butter and let it cook down on low. Add salt, pepper and fresh basil.

Cook the pasta until it’s the state just before al dente. Add a cup of pasta water to your sauce and your pasta. Stir it all and let it cook for a few minutes until the pasta has absorbed the sauce.

You can add parmesan on top but it’s flavorful enough that you don’t even need to. Enjoy and have fun with it!