Valentine’s Easy Spaghetti

Put 3.5 liters of water and 1 tablespoon of salt in a pot, then bring to a boil over the stove. Add spaghetti to the salted boiling water and cook for about 8 minutes (or 1–2 minutes less than what the packet instructions say), stirring occasionally, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Before you drain pasta, get a cup and scoop out some of the pasta water—you’ll need that water for later. Strain pasta, then set aside. You can add a touch of olive oil to the pasta if you want to prevent it from sticking.

Get a frying pan that is at least medium-sized, and preheat over medium heat. Add olive oil, then add garlic. Fry garlic in the olive oil for about 30 seconds to a minute. Add cherry tomatoes, dried oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper. Combine in the pan. Put a lid over the pan and then let tomatoes cook for about 5 minutes.

Take off the lid. Use a potato masher to firmly mash the cherry tomatoes down, making sure they release all of their juices. Add a small splash of the pasta water scooped out earlier (about 2 to 3 tablespoons) and then let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes. After that, taste the sauce to see if it need any more salt.

Add spaghetti and coat in the sauce. If you find that the spaghetti is sticking together a bit too much, you can add some extra pasta water (just a small splash).

Add grated Parmesan, and then toss/stir through until cheese is well incorporated in the pasta.

Heat some bowls in the microwave or a low-temperature oven. Once bowls are nice and warm, neatly serve pasta in them. Finish the dish by sprinkling over some extra Parmesan cheese, garnish with fresh basil, and serve.