Spaghetti alla Carrettiera is one of my favorite pasta dishes to make. Originating from Sicily, this pasta dish uses very few ingredients, which to me is one of the best things about Italian food.
Spaghetti Alla Carrettiera
February 10, 2024
Category
Recipes
Persons
4
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
- Fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (thinly sliced)
- Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package instructions until al dente. Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain the spaghetti and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes, sautéing until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and release their juices, about 8-10 minutes.
- Once the tomatoes have cooked down into a sauce, use the back of a spoon or a fork, gently press down on the tomatoes to release their juices.
- Sprinkle the chiffonade basil leaves into the sauce, stirring gently to incorporate.
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet, tossing to coat the pasta evenly in the sauce. If the sauce seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up.
- Serve and garnished with grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.
- Buon appetito!
