Today’s recipe is one that I’ve made in my kitchen at least 100 times.
It’s nothing fancy. It’s not filled with trendy ingredients. It’s not particularly healthy (or unhealthy). It’s certainly not difficult to make. And it’s definitely not going to win any beauty awards with food styling. But oh my goodness, for some reason, I absolutely love this simple pasta.
I actually shared this recipe on the blog a few years ago. But after making it again the other day for the zillionth time, I thought it might be worth bumping it back to the top of the blog to share with you once more. Maybe I’m the only one who loves it so much. But whenever life gets busy and I find myself craving a bowl of carb-y comfort food, this easy pasta is my go-to indulgence. It’s ridiculously easy to make, it calls for 5 simple ingredients that I almost always have on hand, it’s remarkably flavorful with such few ingredients, it’s easy to customize with extra ingredients if you’d like, and — in my long history with this dish — it always hits the spot.
I’ve tinkered around with the dish a bit over the years — trying out different cheeses (I was big into huge shaves of Parmesan 3 years ago when I first photographed this dish), subbing in different kinds of pastas (DeLallo’s whole wheat is always a fav), pouring a splash of white wine into the sauce, or adding in other proteins and veggies (sauteed shrimp and asparagus are always a good idea).
But most of the time, I really just love making this dish with 5 very simple ingredients:
- good-quality olive oil
- tons of fresh baby arugula (the more the merrier)
- pasta (I’ll admit, I go old-school and treat myself to semolina pasta for this dish)
- lots of freshly-grated Parmesan
- and just about as much thinly-sliced garlic as you can take (the more, the merrier for me!)
To make the dish, simply cook the pasta al dente in a large stockpot of generously-salted water. (Don’t skip the salt — it’s essential for bringing out the delicious flavor in the pasta!)
Then while your pasta is cooking, saute your garlic in the olive oil (or melted butter) until it is just lightly golden. Add the garlic and oil to the pasta once it has been cooked and drained — along with tons of arugula and Parmesan — and toss it all until combined.
(Also, if I happen to have toasted pine nuts on hand, I’ll toss them in for an extra treat!)
And then voila — in less than 30 minutes, this deliciousness will be ready to go.
Again, to many, it may be nothing extraordinary. And because of that, I hesitated even posting it on the blog in the first place. But hey — this lil’ blog is the place where I share things that I love. So behold, one of my loves. :)
Hope that you may find it as comforting and delightful as I do.
Linguini with Arugula, Garlic & Parmesan
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
A quick and easy 5-ingredient pasta dish that’s packed with great flavor!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces linguine or other dried pasta
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 7 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 very large handfuls (about 5 ounces) baby arugula
- 1/2 cup freshly shredded or shaved Parmesan, plus extra for topping
- (optional: 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts)
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente in a large stockpot of generously-salted water according to package instructions.
- While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil (or melt the butter) in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until it begins to turn just slightly golden. Remove from heat. (And if the pasta is not yet ready, transfer the garlic to a separate dish to prevent it from overcooking.)
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it. Then immediately stir in the garlic and olive oil mixture, arugula, and Parmesan cheese. Toss until combined.
- Serve immediately, topped with extra Parmesan cheese (and toasted pine nuts, if using).
I just made this and it was quick, light and excellent! Added some leftover bacon crumbles. Definitely will be a regular go to.
This recipe is delicious! I added vine ripened tomatoes and asparagus. I cut the tomatoes in half and brushed them with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and put them on my outside griddle. Asparagus I put on the griddle as well. Cut them up and added to mixture.
This is so good! You should never feel bad about posting simple, ordinary recipes- a lot of us who are beginner or basic home cooks may follow for the fancy-looking meals, but we need to see examples of these run-of-the-mill meal staples to learn how to be more adventurous in our own cooking. :) I made this yesterday and I thought I wasn’t that hungry, but before I even realized it I had wolfed down a huge portion of this pasta. It’s incredibly simple to make and delicious!
OH MAN. Used baby spinach and arugula (on sale!), sauteed grilled corn from a MDW BBQ in the olive oil, added some herbs, and a touch of Romano. That garlic flavor just BLOOMS in that oil. Gotta make this again with some shrimp.
Thanks for sharing with us, Monique — we’re so happy you enjoyed it!
Hi! Thoughts on serving this pasta with your garlicky baked shrimp?
Hi Kelly! Oooh, we think that’s an AWESOME idea — we say go for it! :) We hope you enjoy both the recipes!
This is one of my favorite and go-to recipes. Love everything about it, especially the simplicity of the flavors!
Thank you Michelle — we’re so glad you’re a fan of this one! :)
I don’t have any of those newfangled social media connections, but I wanted to say thanks for this recipe – it saved a bag of arugula from going bad!
You’re welcome, we’re glad to hear that! :)
Great recipe, this is a hit because it’s how great pasta dishes should be, with just a few ingredients, and let those few ingredients have a voice!
One of my favourite pasta dishes is spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino, which is just olive oil, garlic and chilli, so simple, yet so perfect. I find the key with that is to cook the garlic on a low heat, so it really gets the flavour into the oil and completely avoids any of the bitterness that comes with overcooked garlic.
Anyway, I’ll give this a go next week :)
Thank you Gavin, we hope you’ll love it! Sometimes the simplest pastas are the best, eh? :)
I love this pasta.It looks like my kind of meal, all what I love is there. Thank you so much for this recipe. I will try this for sure!!!
Yay, we hope you love it Dagny!
this is such a beautiful dish! it may not be the most complex, but sometimes we need a good simple recipe to make on a low-key night. thanks for sharing, your recipes are a favorite for my mom and myself!!
Thanks Nicole, that’s so sweet of you! And yes, sometimes simple is better (at least once in awhile), eh? ;)