New York Times Cooking- Midnight Pasta Recipe Dupe- Made Easy (2024)

New York Times Cooking- Midnight Pasta Recipe Dupe- Made Easy (1)

Looking for an easy way to make the Midnight Pasta Recipe? Well, welcome, new best friend! You’ll be calling us your new best friend after you read our Midnight Pasta New York Times recipe dupe. We made the NYT delish recipe… so much easier!

Midnight Spaghetti? Yes, please!

If there is anything we love, it is someone else handing us a wonderful recipe. Most of the time though, we take out the grunt work, cut some corners, and tailor it to fit our palette, lifestyle, and schedule. Sure, some people would say we are eradicating the art of cooking, but if we are going to be preparing food at home, there is no way we are going to spend hours doing it.

Most of the time, we are making recipes meat-free, nut-free (due to Shannon’s anaphylactic tree nut allergy), or a little healthier. We found theNew York Times Cooking’s recipe for Midnight Pastaor Aglio e olio pasta, and fell in love! This recipe makes for the perfect meal for you and your partner. It is also an easy meal to cook quickly for guests.

New York Times Cooking- Midnight Pasta Recipe Dupe- Made Easy (2)

Why is it called Midnight Pasta?

Why is it called that? Get this! It’s called that because, after a late night of drinking, you can throw it together fairly quickly with a few kitchen staples. That is music to our ears. However, the recipe that the New York Times published, had us roasting our garlic, adding about 40-50 minutes. Um, no thanks.

As much as we adore fresh produce, we also prefer having more time on our hands, not to mention the fact that we did not have any fresh garlic on hand, nor fresh parsley, so we opted for the parsley flaked from our spice cabinet.

Our version took about20 minutesfrom start to finish to make. Feel free to click the link above, if you want the full New York Times Cooking Recipe, or if you want the shortcut, keep reading and join us.

Midnight Pasta Made Easy- NYT Dupe

Ingredients

  • 3 tsp garlic powder
  • Sea Salt (we use maybe a teaspoon of salt to add to our water for the pasta)
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (we do use the good stuff)
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Black pepper to taste
  • Freshley grated parmesan cheese
  • Parsley flakes for garnish

Directions

  1. Cook the pasta, al dente.
  2. Cook the pasta, al dente.
  3. Drain pasta.
  4. Save 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and add some good olive oil.
  5. Add garlic powder and cook that mixture for about 5 minutes on medium/high.
  6. Turn to low, then add red pepper, and black pepper to taste.
  7. Add your drained cooked pasta and a little olive oil (because, why not?!) to that mixture.
  8. Mix it up, and plate it.
  9. Grate parmesan to the top of each serving (as much as you want).
  10. Shake parsley to the top of each serving.
  11. Shake a tiny amount of red pepper to each serving.
  12. Enjoy…Buono!!!

*We paired a light salad with this meal and ate off of the pasta for a few days. Yummy, and easy! Oh, and let’s not forget that you must pair this with a glass of wine.

What Makes the Arner Version Different?

If you want to do our version to take the cooking time off and shorten the process, our easy recipe dupe is the way to go. If you want a longer version, then use garlic cloves, and roast those babies on medium heat.

We also eliminate any pine nuts from anything. If pine nuts are not a direct ingredient, we also have to check the boxes to make sure the items are not made in a facility that processes tree nuts.

Since spaghetti is probably one of your basic staple pantry items, you should have some. The brand of pasta doesn’t matter. If you want to really elevate the experience, you can go fancy schmancy and get some good spaghetti. We have subbed our pasta for angel hair pasta if we have that instead. FYI, for any of your pasta recipes, just use what you have. The smell of pasta and taste of pasta is generally the same unless you are going high quality.

We’ve also made different versions of this by using any tomato sauce we have in the pantry. If one of your pantry staples is a cream sauce, try that, too.

FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions

Is midnight pasta supposed to only be made at midnight?

No, it can be made any time of day. Read above as to why it is called midnight pasta. Enjoy it at midnight, noon, or breakfast! There is no wrong time for pasta!

What can I do with cooked pasta water?

You can use the water for homemade broths. If you are not ready to do it immediately, put it in the freezer to freeze then reuse it later. You can also use it to water plants, once the water has cooled.

Does your Midnight Pasta recipe taste as good as the New York Times version?

Yes! We have cooked both several times. Though, our version has been cooked a lot more. It is always as good as the NYT version.

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New York Times Cooking- Midnight Pasta Recipe Dupe- Made Easy (2024)

FAQs

Why is it called midnight pasta? ›

This recipe is a version of aglio e olio pasta, which is often known as midnight pasta because it can be made quickly with a few pantry staples: garlic, olive oil, red-pepper flakes and pasta.

How do you use anchovy paste? ›

This is a classic use for anchovy paste. It's one of the ingredients in a typical Caesar salad dressing, but you can add a little squeeze to any vinaigrette: simply combine three parts oil to one part vinegar, then add a squeeze of mustard and anchovy paste, plus salt and pepper to taste.

What is the oldest pasta in the world? ›

Testaroli has been described as "the earliest recorded pasta". It is also a native dish of the southern Liguria and northern Tuscany regions of Italy. Testaroli is prepared from a batter that is cooked on a hot flat surface, after which it may be consumed.

What is the queen of pasta? ›

Nadia Caterina Munno is the self-proclaimed The Pasta Queen.

Is it OK to eat a tin of anchovies? ›

Yup, that's right, you can snack on those fishes straight out of the jar, especially when you've grabbed the good stuff—high-quality anchovies are tender and meaty, with a silky texture and clean brininess.

What flavor do anchovies add to a dish? ›

Although anchovies are often written off as fishy, what a high-quality anchovy actually brings to the table is umami and saltiness. When you cook anchovies in oil or butter, they essentially melt into the fat, imbuing it with those flavors as they disintegrate.

Can anchovies go bad? ›

Keep Them for Later: How to Store Anchovies

An unopened can will be good for at least 1 year if it's stored at room temperature, and according to The New Food Lover's Companion, once that can is open, you can refrigerate them for up to 2 months if you keep the fish in oil and in an airtight container.

Why has anchovy paste been discontinued? ›

Pioneer is ending production of Pecks Anchovette and Redro fish pastes. The company says people no longer have an appetite for minced fish preserved in a jar. Pecks may still find a way back into the country given its international footprint - but it's likely the end of the line for Redro.

Why add anchovies to pasta? ›

In Italian cooking, anchovies are extremely common. They don't add so much of a "fishy" taste as much as a salty, umami punch of flavor. For that, I always keep anchovy paste, oil or filets on hand to give pasta dishes like this a boost of flavor.

Can you make anchovy paste out of canned anchovies? ›

Drain the anchovies and pat them dry with a paper towel. Place the anchovies in a food processor or mortar and pestle and pulse or grind them until they form a paste. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while continuing to pulse or grind the anchovies. The oil will help to create a smooth paste.

Is it okay to eat pasta at midnight? ›

Pasta is a carbohydrate, and carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, which is the body's main source of energy. Eating pasta at night can provide your body with energy as you sleep. However, if you are trying to lose weight, you may want to avoid eating pasta at night, as it can be high in calories.

Why does overnight pasta taste better? ›

A report from BBC Science Focus says that when your bolognese, stew or curry is sitting on the shelf in your fridge, it's getting more flavoursome by the minute even though it's no longer on the stove, because the ingredients are still marinating and breaking down like they would in a super slow cook.

What is the oldest pasta in Italy? ›

Testaroli, a kind of pasta prepared in a similar way to crêpes, and traditional of the region between Tuscany and Liguria, is rather one of the pasta varieties documented already in the Roman and Etruscan antiquity.

Is pasta a good midnight snack? ›

Sugar and refined carbohydrates: Sugary snacks and refined carbs such as white bread and pasta will cause your blood sugar to spike. This can give you a rush of energy, which is bad when you're trying to fall to sleep.

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