KkinionEasy Home Cooking
Tomato Garlic Pasta: How to Portion for 1 or 2
Choose whether you are cooking for yourself or two, then check the ingredient amounts for each serving size. Calculate the sauce water and reserved pasta water separately; the amount added at the end depends on the sauce's consistency.
Amounts to Prepare First When Cooking for Yourself
If you're preparing a meal for yourself, start by checking the amounts for 1 serving below. These are some of the ingredients from the ingredient list in this post. Check the full ingredient list below for the remaining ingredients and seasonings, too, and compare them with what you have at home.
- Spaghetti: 1 bundle (labeled as 1 serving on the package)
- Tomatoes: 2 medium
- Garlic: 2 cloves
Rather than using an entire package, portion out what you need first, then follow the preparation and cooking steps in the main text.
If you're deciding whether to make 1 serving or 2 servings of tomato garlic pasta for a meal, check not only the ingredient amounts but also how the water and pasta water vary by step. The amounts for 1 serving and 2 servings in this recipe are as follows.
Compare the Ingredients by Serving Size
For 1 serving, use 1 bundle of spaghetti (labeled as 1 serving on the package), 2 medium tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 household eating spoonful of olive oil, and 2 pinches of salt. For 2 servings, use 2 bundles of spaghetti, 4 tomatoes, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 household eating spoonfuls of olive oil, and 4 pinches of salt.
Along with the number of bundles of pasta, check the package for its 1 serving label. For the other ingredients, use the units as listed: count, cloves, household eating spoonfuls, or pinches.
Adjust the Sauce Water to the Serving Size
If the bottom of the pan dries out during the sauce-making step, add 1 household eating spoonful of water per 1 serving. So, use 1 household eating spoonful for 1 serving and 2 household eating spoonfuls for 2 servings as a guide, adding it when the bottom of the pan dries out, as directed in the recipe.
This water is used while cooking the tomato sauce; it is separate from the pasta water used to boil the pasta. Don't treat the two amounts as the same water—check them at their respective steps.
The Amount of Pasta Water to Reserve Differs from the Amount to Add
Reserve 3 household eating spoonfuls of pasta water per 1 serving before draining the pasta. For 1 serving, reserve 3 household eating spoonfuls; for 2 servings, reserve 6 household eating spoonfuls.
At the end, when you add the pasta to the sauce pan and mix, add the pasta water 1 household eating spoonful at a time if the sauce is thick. This doesn't mean you should add all the water you reserved, and you don't need to add any if the sauce is already thin. Choose the ingredient amounts for the number of people eating, then keep the sauce water and pasta water separate and check how each is used. You can check the ingredient list and cooking steps in Kkinion's published recipe.
Recipe Ingredients
Choose one of the two portions below to match the number of people you're cooking for.
- Spaghetti: 1 serving 1 bundle (labeled as 1 serving on the package) / 2 servings 2 bundles (labeled as 1 serving on the package)
- Tomatoes: 1 serving 2 medium / 2 servings 4 medium
- Garlic: 1 serving 2 cloves / 2 servings 4 cloves
- Olive oil: 1 serving 1 household eating spoonful / 2 servings 2 household eating spoonfuls
- Salt: 1 serving 2 pinches / 2 servings 4 pinches
Full Cooking Instructions
1 step. Wash the tomatoes, remove the stems, and cut them into 2 cm pieces. Finely mince the garlic.
2 step. Add the olive oil and garlic to a pan and stir over low heat for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and salt, then cook over medium-low heat for 7 minutes. When the tomatoes are easy to mash with a spatula, turn off the heat and leave them in the pan.
3 step. Bring water to a boil in a pot and add the spaghetti. Stir for the first 1 minute so it doesn't stick. Cook according to the time on the package, reserve 3 household eating spoonfuls of pasta water per 1 serving, then drain the pasta.
4 step. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce pan and mix over medium-low heat for 1 minute. If the sauce is thick, add the reserved pasta water 1 household eating spoonful at a time. Once the sauce coats the pasta evenly, turn off the heat and serve.
Check the ingredients and cooking steps for tomato garlic pasta
Web Sources
This source informed the reader question and the structure of the explanation. The ingredients and cooking steps are based on Kkinion's published recipe.
The cover and in-post images are newly generated AI images based on the recipe in the referenced article. They are not photographs of actual cooking or tasting, and the portions or finished appearance may differ.