For comfort
Comfort garlic pasta
15 min easy
When the only thing that makes sense is carbs and warmth. Quick, deeply comforting, and somehow always makes you feel a little more human.
Ingredients
- 200g spaghetti or linguine
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp olive oil (or 2 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp butter)
- Pinch of red chili flakes (optional)
- Fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
- Good Parmesan or Pecorino, grated
- Salt and black pepper
Steps
- 1Boil a big pot of salted water. Cook the pasta until al dente.
- 2While pasta cooks, warm olive oil in a pan on low heat. Add garlic and chili flakes.
- 3Cook the garlic gently — do NOT brown it. Just until fragrant, 2-3 minutes.
- 4Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
- 5Toss drained pasta into the garlic oil pan with a splash of pasta water.
- 6Stir vigorously for 30 seconds — the starch in the water will create a silky sauce.
- 7Finish with parsley, lots of pepper, and a generous handful of cheese.
Why this helps your mood
Carbs trigger serotonin release — that's not weakness, that's biology. The act of cooking something with your hands, even something this simple, pulls you out of your head and into your body. And good garlic in olive oil is one of the world's oldest comfort smells. Eat slowly. Eat alone. It's allowed.