So it’s late at night. You’re hanging with friends somewhere out on the town. It’s probably midnight or so, but no one wants to say goodnight yet. What should you do?

Take ‘em all home and make “una spaghettata!”

In my 20’s, in NYC, I incited these kind of evenings spontaneously. Dragging 8-10 people up the four flights of stairs to my small studio apartment in a tenement on Third Avenue and 89th Street. The kitchen took up just half of a wall in the same one room. That didn’t stop me from filling the place with guests and start cooking.

I put the pot of water on, when boiling, added spaghetti, by the time it was done, my sauce was made. Everyone hungrily dove in.

What was the sauce? Something quick. Something delicious. Something easy. Something listed below. (You’ve got 7 choices.)

Then years later I heard about the Italian term La Spaghettata. Meaning a quick spaghetti dish. Then I heard about La Spaghettata di Mezzanotte. Quick spaghetti dish at midnight! Man! I had re-invented the spaghetti wheel and didn’t even know it.

I love extending the life of a party. Especially when it includes a twirl of spaghetti. Of course, you don’t have to wait till the end of a soiree, or wait until midnight strikes. Set aside a half-hour and have any of these dishes anytime.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara (Roman specialty)

1 lb. spaghetti

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

¼ lb pancetta or bacon or guanciale, diced

4 large eggs

½ cup parmigiano or pecorino plus extra to serve w/pasta

1 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste

salt to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When boiling, season with salt, add spaghetti. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce.

In a small skillet sauté the pancetta in the oil until cooked, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

In a large serving bowl, break the eggs, add the cheese & pepper. Season with salt to taste. Mix together thoroughly. Add more cheese if needed to make a pasty mixture.

Just before the pasta is done, spoon out a cup of the pasta water and reserve. When pasta is al dente, drain and immediately add to the bowl with the egg mixture. Mix the pasta and eggs together quickly. Dragging the bottom to top and turning, coating the strands. The hot pasta will “cook” the egg and the egg mixture will give the pasta a creamy coat of sauce. Then add the pancetta in its oil and mix through. Add a few spoonfuls of the reserved water if the dish is a little dry. Serve hot, passing around extra cheese.

 

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (also a Roman specialty)

1 pound spaghetti

1 tablespoon black pepper, or more, to taste

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese

1/4 cup grated parmigiano, w more for sprinkling

salt to taste

Bring a pasta pot of water to a boil. Salt water. Add spaghetti. Cook to al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan heat the pepper, oil, and butter until butter melts and sizzles a little. Add a little pasta water about 1/4 cup. Season lightly with salt.

When pasta is done. Drain and add to the sauté pan. Cook over medium heat, tossing pasta and getting it coated with the mixture. Add the cheese, lightly sprinkling. Toss to coat. Add a little more pasta water to moisten if needed. Serve hot with extra cheese for sprinkling.

 

Spaghetti Alfredo (Roman specialty, usually with fettuccine, but why not spaghetti?)

1 lb. spaghetti (or fettuccine if you must 🙂

1/2 lb. unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature

2- 2 1/2 cups grated parmigiano

Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. Add salt. Add pasta. Cook until al dente. Reserve ¾ cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, slice the butter into thin pats and lay them out in the bottom of a large shallow serving bowl. Hold bowl over boiling water to soften butter a little more (not melt it), and to warm the dish (for just 10-20 seconds).

Place the drained pasta on top of the butter and sprinkle about one quarter of the cheese on top. Using a large fork and spoon (or two forks) toss the pasta quickly, coating it with the butter and cheese. Add some of the pasta water—about half. Continue to toss. Add the rest of the cheese little by little, tossing and coating in between each addition.

Keep tossing until the pasta is coated in the creaminess of the butter-cheese-water combination. Add more water if it’s too thick of a mixture. Serve hot.

 

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Rome or Naples)

1 lb. spaghetti

2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thinly

1/2 cup olive oil

2-3 teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste

salt to taste

Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. Add salt. Add pasta. Cook until al dente. Reserve ¾ cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, add the oil, garlic, and red pepper to a large sauté pan. Heat until garlic is just turning golden. Add the drained pasta and cook on medium-low heat, tossing pasta in oil. Season with salt. Add some pasta water to keep moist and to help coat the strands with the oil. When pasta looks shiny, it’s done. Serve hot.

 

Spaghetti Puttanesca (Naples)

1 lb. spaghetti

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup black olives, chopped (kalamata or oil cured)

handful parsley leaves, chopped

1 2-ounce tin anchovies, minced

2 tablespoons capers, preferably tiny ones

1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

salt to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When boiling, season with salt, add linguine. In the meantime make the sauce.

In a medium skillet sauté the onion & garlic, olives, parsley, anchovies, and capers for about 3-4 minutes, add the tomatoes, season with chili flakes, salt and pepper. Careful with the salt, a lot of the ingredients are already salted. Cook for about 5-6 minutes.

Just before the pasta is done, reserve a cup of the pasta water and reserve. Drain pasta when done and mix with sauce. Add a little water if too dry and/or a drizzle of olive oil. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot.

 

Spaghetti Quick Tomato Sauce

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and diced

1/4 dry white wine

1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes

salt & pepper to taste

Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. Add salt. Add pasta. Cook until al dente. Reserve ¾ cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the wine, let evaporate. Add tomatoes. Stir and season with salt & pepper. Simmer for about 12 minutes.

 

Lemon-Tuna Spaghetti w Parmigiano (Naples)

1 lb. spaghetti

zest & juice of 4 lemons

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup olive oil, or more as needed

1 can Italian tuna (many supermarkets carry Genoa brand)

handful of parsley, leaves minced

1/2  cup grated parmigiano

salt & pepper to taste

Bring a pasta pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the spaghetti. Stir to keep pasta from sticking until water comes back to a boil. Cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, combine the lemon zest and juice, garlic, parsley and olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Add the tuna and break up the meat into small pieces. Stir to combine well. Season with salt & pepper.

Before draining the pasta, reserve a cup of pasta water. Combine the lemon sauce with the cooked pasta. Toss to coat well. Add more olive oil or pasta water to moisten if needed. Dust with parmigiano. Serve grated cheese at table for individual servings, too.