ONE WEEK TILL PAYDAY PASTA

GLM

We’ve all been there.

You always start out with such responsible intentions. You deposit your paycheck on a Friday afternoon and totally don’t spend it all at the bar. For the first week of the pay period, you are a glowing example of frugality, waking early enough to have coffee at home and catch the bus to work. You cook healthful, inexpensive meals, divide them into Tupperware containers, and eat them for lunch every day. You paint your nails yourself instead of splurging on gel manicures (they look terrible, but you just tell everyone your niece did them).

You are gonna do it, you promise yourself. You are gonna make that paycheck last the whole month.

But then the dreaded unexpected expense arises. Maybe your hot neighbor Mike invites you to join him and his equally cute friends for happy hour, and, wanting to impress him, you offer to pick up the tab, not realizing that his hot but pretentious friend Nick ordered a Johnnie Walker Blue Label that cost $27. But whatevs, you’re a little tipsy, and you’re feeling generous.

Then, of course, you’re a little too drunk to take the train home, so you hail a cab. Oh, and you can’t go to bed without stopping for pizza, so you ask the cabbie to pick up a slice. There’s a line at the pizza place, and your cab meter is still running, but you need pizza.

The next day, you obviously oversleep, are running late, and dash out the door with still-wet hair. You run to a café to get a muffin, hoping it will settle your stomach. You wash it down with a triple-shot venti latte, grab a Lyft to save time, and barely make it to work before nine. Suddenly, three weeks of compensatory spending have passed and you have about $0.12 to your name. And yet, you still have to eat.

This pasta, which is made entirely from pantry ingredients (yes, you can use the shelf-stable Parmesan that comes in the can, but you can also skip it), is your key to survival. It’s crazy flavorful, thanks to the garlic and red pepper flakes, and it has a fabulous crunch, thanks to the bread crumbs.

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces dried spaghetti or other long-strand pasta

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried garlic granules

½ cup bread crumbs

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

⅛ cup grated Parmesan (optional)

1 handful fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Salt and pepper

NOTE: If you don’t have bread crumbs, find any plain bread item in your cupboard (pitas, hot dog buns—even crackers will do) and either chop them or pulse them in a food processor until finely processed.

DIRECTIONS

• Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions.

• While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a medium-size frying pan over medium-high heat.

• Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently to avoid burning.

• Add the bread crumbs and stir to combine well with garlic and oil.

• Allow the crumbs to toast for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

• When the pasta has finished cooking, drain it and return it to its pot.

• Toss the bread crumb mixture, red pepper flakes, Parmesan, and parsley with the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.