This pasta dish was rumored to have been created by chefs who’d finish their shifts late at night but still wanted a welcoming home-cooked meal that didn’t require them spending more time in front of a restaurant stove. For the rest of us it’s an easy dish made with four pantry ingredients you can always have on hand – spaghetti, tomato paste, olive oil, and garlic.  It also makes a quick side dish to go with fish or roast chicken.

Tomato paste is usually a minor note in a recipe but here it’s the main flavor, producing an intense, pesto-like taste as it coats the long pasta strands. I love this dish so much that I make it even when I have both time to cook and a full refrigerator.

You can make this dish in the time it takes to bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti.