Tomato aglio olio

Sometimes all we really want to cook is just a simple lunch. A no-frills, fast and tasty meal. Pasta is a good choice. I like it done aglio olio style, not much ingredients are required and you don't even have to spend extra time whipping up a sauce to pair with the pasta. How simple can it get?

Tomato aglio olio

This is such a simple dish that I'm sure many of us have done so at home before. I'm not going to include exact proportions cos you can adjust it accordingly to how many servings you intend to cook. But for this, I think I cooked about half a box of pasta noodles and it yield a generous four servings.

Tomato aglio olio

noodles of your choice (I used thin spaghetti)

garlic, minced (more is good)

1 big red chilli, diced

herbs (fresh is best but I used a dried mix)

1 small box of cherry tomatoes, halved

olive oil

salt and black pepper to taste

white wine (optional)

Boil noodles according to packet's instructions. Drain and set aside.

Heat a pan, add a generous swirl of olive oil. When the oil is heated, add the minced garlic and fry for a minute or so. Add the chilli and continue frying for another minute.

Add in the noodles and stir to coat the noodles with the olive oil + garlic + chilli mixture. Dump the herbs, salt and black pepper and continue mixing. Add more olive oil if the mixture seems a bit dry. You can choose to add white wine at this point too (I do that sometimes when I have some on hand).

Lastly, add in the tomatoes and remove pan from the fire. Serve immediately.

And there you have it, a delicious bowl of lunch that takes less than half an hour to prepare.