A bare-bones Roman pasta where the pasta itself is the star; this durum wheat semolina rigatoni has the structure to hold onto good oil and garlic. Cook it and eat it hot tonight.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 8 at the stove.

About 430 calories a serving, 15 g protein, 87 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Slice 4 garlic cloves thin and set aside. Pour 1/4 cup olive oil into a large skillet and set it over medium heat.
2. When the water boils, drop in 8 oz rigatoni and stir. While it cooks, add the sliced garlic to the oil and let it turn light gold at the edges, about 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.9 min
3. Drain the pasta, saving 1/2 cup pasta water. Tip the hot rigatoni into the skillet with the garlic oil and toss, adding a splash of pasta water to make it silky. Taste and add salt and pepper.

Note Swap in butter for half the oil if you want richness. Leftovers keep three days covered; reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve with grated Pecorino or Parmesan and crusty bread on the side.