Spaghetti Marinara

Ingredients

Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup, finely grated

Black pepper

1 teaspoon, freshly cracked

Salt

1 teaspoon, or to taste

Basil

1/3 cup, fresh and finely chopped

Crushed tomatoes

1 (28 ounce) can

Garlic

4 cloves, minced

Olive oil

2 tablespoons

Spaghetti

1 pound

Instructions

1. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
2. While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, chopped basil, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Stir well to combine the ingredients.
4. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. After the sauce has simmered, add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet. Toss the spaghetti in the marinara sauce until well coated. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water to thin it out.
6. Serve the spaghetti marinara hot, sprinkled with a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese on top.