Aglio e Olio to Bolognese Spaghetti: Relish restaurant-style spaghetti at home with chef-special recipes

Allow garlic to cook well in some extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle some salt, and chilli flakes and add in your cooked spaghetti. Your irresistible lip-smacking dish is ready. Although it might look difficult, preparing spaghetti is simply easy. You can whip up restaurant-style spaghetti at home in no time by just adding in your favourite sauces.

Spaghetti is a versatile dish. It is relished in innumerable variations across the globe. One thing common is its great taste and flavour no matter what sauce is used. It is a comforting food for many and makes for a great meal on days when there is nothing else cooked at home or when there is not much time to prepare any other dish.

If you love indulging in this slurpy and greasy goodness, we have chefs sharing easy restaurant-style recipes of spaghetti that you can prepare at home without much hassle. So pull out your skillet and spatula and dig right in.

Spaghetti recipes

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Pepperoncino

Ingredients:
Spaghetti - 400 gm
Garlic cloves - 4
Extra virgin olive oil - 240 ml
Pepperoncino (seeded and chopped) - 1
Fresh parsley (chopped) optional - 1 tbsp
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese optional - 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Start by bringing a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Then, add the spaghetti, and when they're nearly al dente (cooked to be still firm when bitten), heat the olive oil in a saucepan and start gently sautéing garlic and pepperoncino over low heat.
2. Add a splash of pasta water to the pan to stop the cooking, then transfer the al dente spaghetti using tongs to the pan.
3. Cook it very shortly over high heat, tossing rapidly, so the pasta water and the oil merge into a sauce.
4. Lastly, if desired, add chopped parsley and toss again. Serve immediately, garnished with grated parmesan cheese. You can savour the dish with garlic bread on the side.

Recipe by Chef Jerson Fernandes, Director of Culinary, Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach

Turkish-style Spaghetti with Tomato Makarna

Ingredients:
Spaghetti - 225 gm
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Finely chopped onion - 1
Minced garlic - 2 cloves
Ground lamb - 450 gm
Crushed tomatoes - 400 gm
Tomato paste - 1 tbsp
Paprika - 1 tsp
Ground cumin - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Yoghurt for serving (optional)

Method:
1. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until softened.
3. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
4. Add ground lamb to the pan, breaking it apart with a spoon and cooking until browned.
5. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper.
6. Simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes until the sauce thickens.
7. Toss the cooked spaghetti into the pan ensuring it's well coated with the tomato and meat sauce.
8. Serve the Turkish-style spaghetti hot, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
9. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt on the side.

Recipe by Chef Ishijyot Surri, executive chef, SJI Hospitality and Foods Private Limited

Spaghetti Plata Verde
For making pesto sauce:
Ingredients:
Basil - 500 gm
Parmesan cheese- 75 gm
Extra virgin olive oil - 35 ml
Pine nuts - 25 gm
Garlic - 20 gm
Salt to taste
Ice cubes - 2 to 3 pieces

Method:
1. In a saucepan boil water, add salt and blanch basil leaves for a few seconds and instantly transfer to an ice water bath.
2. Remove it from the bath and squeeze nicely till all the water is drained.
3. In a mixer add blanched basil with the rest of the ingredients except ice and olive oil.
4. Grind it for a few seconds then add the ice and olive oil.
5. Mix it till a smooth texture is achieved.

For making the spaghetti:
Ingredients:
Spaghetti - 120 gm
Extra virgin olive oil - 10 ml
Pesto- 60 gm
Mushrooms - 85 gm
Chopped garlic - 10 gm
Salt and pepper to taste
Ciabatta garlic bread - 2 pieces

Method:
1. In a saucepan boil water and add salt and olive oil. Cook spaghetti for eight to nine minutes.
2. Then drain the water and keep some of the pasta water for later use.
3. In a pan add extra virgin olive oil and chopped garlic. Sauté it well.
4. Then add mushrooms, and cook it till all the water is absorbed.
5. Add spaghetti pasta and season it with salt and pepper.
6. Finish the pasta on the flame with a good amount of pesto ⁠and serve it with ciabatta garlic bread.

Recipe by Shahbaz Shaikh, head chef, Lil Gamby

Chicken Meatballs with Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients:
Ground chicken -1 pound
Breadcrumbs - 1/4 cup
Grated parmesan cheese - 2/3 cup
Egg - 1
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Finely chopped onions - 1 1/2 onions
Finely chopped carrots - 2
Finely chopped celery stalks - 2
Minced garlic - 4 cloves
Crushed tomatoes - 1 cup
Red wine - 1/2 cup
Dried oregano - 1 tsp
Dried basil - 1 tsp
Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Thyme - 1 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Spaghetti - 400 gm
Fresh parsley for topping

Method:

For making the chicken meatballs:
1. In a bowl, mix half of the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and pepper.
2. Form the mixture into small meatballs.
3. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the meatballs until browned and fully cooked.

For making the Bolognese sauce:
1. In the same pan, add more olive oil if needed and sauté the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until softened.
2. Add the remaining ground chicken and cook until browned.
3. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and red wine.
4. Season with oregano, basil, salt, pepper, chilli flakes, and thyme.
5. Simmer the sauce for about 20-30 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti:
1. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package.
2. Drain the spaghetti and toss it in a pan with a bit of olive oil.

Serve:
1. Combine the cooked spaghetti with the Bolognese sauce.
2. Top with the chicken meatballs.
3. Garnish with fresh parsley and additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Recipe by Chef Ishijyot Surri, executive chef, SJI Hospitality and Foods Private Limited

Spaghetti sauces
Cooking spaghetti is easy and now that we know how to go about it, we can cook the dish with any sauces that please our taste buds. Chef Alok Das of Escobar shares the top three sauces that we must try when cooking spaghetti.

1. White mushrooms creamy truffle sauce

Ingredients:
Truffle oil - 1 tsp
Olive oil - 10 ml
White mushroom - 1 tin
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Chili flakes 1/2 tsp
Dried oregano - 1/2 tsp
Skimmed milk - 300 ml
Gluten-free flour or whole wheat - 150 gm
Grated Parmesan cheese - 2 cups
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté for about eight minutes. Then add garlic, chilli flakes, and oregano and cook for a minute, until fragrant.
2. In a small bowl whisk milk and flour until well combined.
3. Pour the milk mixture over the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about three to five minutes, until the sauce thickens.
5. Top it with some drops of truffle oil

2. Baked spaghetti corn and spinach

Ingredients:
Butter - 2 tbsp
Finely chopped garlic - 2-3 cloves
Refined flour (Maida or wheat flour) - 2 tbsp
Milk - 2 cups
Grated cheese - 2-3 cubes
Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter or olive oil -1 tbsp
Finely chopped onion - 1
Chopped spinach - 1 cup
Sweet corn kernels - 1/2 cup

Method:
1. Heat olive oil or butter in a pan, add chopped onions and sauté till soft.
2. Add chopped spinach and corn. Cook until the corn is cooked and the spinach has wilted down.
3. Turn off the flame, transfer the vegetables in a bowl and set aside.
4. For pasta sauce, heat butter in the same pan, add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
5. Add flour and stir continuously till the raw smell of flour goes away.
5. Pour the milk little by little and stir continuously. Make sure it does not form any lumps.
6. Cook until the mixture starts to thicken.
7. Add grated cheese and mix well.
8. Add oregano, red chilli flakes, pepper powder and salt.
9. Add the sautéed vegetables and boiled pasta of your choice to it.
10. If the sauce thickens, add a little reserved pasta water if required.
11. Mix well to coat the pasta with the sauce evenly. Turn off the flame.
12. Garnish with grated cheese, oregano, and chilli flakes and bake till it becomes golden brown

3. Spicy smoked tomato sauce

Ingredients:
Butter - 2 tbsp
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Minced red onion - 1 small onion
Garlic Minced garlic - 4 cloves
Smoked tomato passata (or puree or sauce. Not tomato paste) - 1 1/2 cups
Dried basil - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 pinch
Red chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Milk - 1/2 cup
Smoked shredded mozzarella cheese - 1/3 or 1/2 cup

Method:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add butter and olive oil.
2. Once butter is melted, add onion and cook for four to five minutes until softened.
3. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
4. Add tomato passata, dried basil, sugar, red chilli flakes and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Simmer for a few minutes and then add smoked shredded mozzarella. ‎

All the above sauces can be mixed with cooked spaghetti and relished alongside garlic bread or fries.