Italian spaghetti with green beans, garlic, and cherry tomatoes

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then when it is rolling, salt it generously. Trim the ends of the green beans and cut them into 3-4 cm pieces (if using frozen beans, use them directly). Halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the garlic thinly.

Add the spaghetti and green beans to the boiling water at the same time. Cook together until al dente, 1 minute less than the time indicated on the pasta packaging (about 8-9 minutes). Before draining, ladle out and set aside about 150 ml of the starchy cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and a pinch of chili flakes. Sauté gently for 1 minute until fragrant, taking care not to let it burn.