Spaghettini with Oil & Garlic

This week in the Pacific Northwest has been crazy! 6-8 inches of snow, with a 1/2 inch of ice on top of that, trees falling all over the place, no power...hopefully mother nature will give us a break soon. I was unable to get to work for a couple days so I was stuck in my house. There is a store that is a 5 minute walk away so I was able to go there when I needed something, but three straight days without going more than 1/2 mile away from my house is boring! The first couple of days I was able to cook, but on the third day when the power went out I was unable to do anything but snuggle up to the fireplace and read a book. So, since I was able to cook a bit more this week, I have a good stock pile of recipes just waiting for their debut. :)

This pasta dish is super easy. The night I made this I was not really feeling up to making a huge dish, but I was craving pasta. When my husband and I first started eating right and losing weight a couple years ago, pasta with garlic and oil was one of our main go-to recipes. It's not only low in calories, but you can put so much flavor in. After years of making this simple dish, I wanted to find a recipe that gave my original a bit of a twist. Now, when you look at the recipe and see that it asks for 10 cloves of garlic don't get scared. I know some people are a little skeptical about garlic, but because you slice the cloves the garlic isn't very strong. Then again, I love garlic. I put garlic in everything I can! So if you love it as much as I do, go for it. If you aren't that much into garlic, then you are more than welcome to tone it down on the garlic. 

In the end, this pasta has become one of my favorites. It's light, but flavorful. Pasta is always welcome in my kitchen! :)

Spaghettini with Oil and Garlic

Cooking Light Complete Cookbook

Ingredients:

6 quarts water

2 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided

1 pound uncooked spaghettini

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

10 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Direction:

1. Bring 6 quarts water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a large stockpot. Stir in pasta; return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook 6 minutes or until pasta is almost al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook 2 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to turn golden, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt, reserved 1 cup cooking liquid; parsley; and pepper. 
3. Add pasta to pan, and stir to coat. Return pan to medium heat; cook 1 minute or until pasta is al dente, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with cheese. 

Makes 8 servings (1 cup pasta and 2 tablespoons cheese)

Nutrition: Calories 303; Fat 8g; Protein 12.7g; Carb 44.4g; Fiber 1.6g; Cholesterol 10mg