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Spaghetti Aglio e Olio — Pantry Pasta, Perfected
The platonic ideal of a five-ingredient pasta. If you nail the garlic temperature and the pasta-water emulsion, this is a 20-minute restaurant plate.
20 min 2
Read 01 / Topics · A Souschef roundup
Best Weeknight Pastas.
1 picksCurated by the editorsUpdated regularly
02 / Why these · The shortlist
The premise of a weeknight pasta is forgiveness. You're tired, you have a half-empty pantry, and dinner is in 25 minutes whether you're ready or not. The good ones get out of your way: minimal ingredients, no obscure pantry hunts, one pot for water and one pan for everything else.
We ranked these by three criteria — under 30 minutes total time, fewer than ten ingredients, and a high enough technique payoff that you'll actually want to make it again. Every recipe below has been through Souschef's editorial gate; the cookbook standards apply.
03 / The list · Ranked
From top down.
04 / FAQ
Questions we keep getting.
What pasta shape is most forgiving for weeknights?
Spaghetti and rigatoni. Spaghetti for oil-based and light tomato sauces, rigatoni for heavier sauces with chunks. Both cook in 8–10 minutes and don't clump.
Can I use jarred sauce and still call it a weeknight pasta?
Yes. A good jarred marinara plus fresh garlic, chili flakes, and a finishing splash of olive oil and pecorino gets you 80% of the way to homemade. The cooking is in the finishing, not the simmering.
Why do my weeknight pastas always feel dry?
Two reasons: you drained too completely and you skipped the pasta water. Drain pasta a minute shy, save a cup of the water, and toss everything in the pan with a splash. Starch is the binder.
Is the per-serving olive oil amount excessive?
It looks excessive. It's not. Pasta is dry; oil is half the sauce. Most home cooks under-oil their pasta and then wonder why the sauce doesn't cling.
Souschef · Topics · 2026