Party Night Smarts: What Is Spaghettata?

When you come home hungry and still tipsy from a long night out, the last thing you're going to do is whip up an elaborate meal for yourself and your friends. Chances are, you can toss together a bowl of pasta with whatever's handy to soak up the excess, replenish spent electrolytes and help you achieve that special kind of drunk sleep. The Italians are one step ahead of you: they call it spaghettata. What is spaghettata? It's the smartest tradition to ever put a party night to bed.

The recipe for spaghettata, formally known as "spaghettata di mezzanote" (midnight spaghetti) involves tomatoes, anchovies, red chili flakes, parsley and capers. Sound a lot like pasta puttanesca? Two things: You're absolutely right, and the story behind puttanesca might not be the one you've heard before.

Here's the best part of spaghettata: It doesn't have to involve spaghetti, nor does it have to contain the traditional pantry haul listed above. This is about creating a tasty pasta dish in the little time you have before you pass out cold, and is just one more wonderful culinary contribution from Italy. Toss in breadcrumbs, roasted red peppers, pitted olives, canned seafood or beans. Top it with Parmesan and a fried egg. The point is to squeeze in just a few more delights before you hit the sack, as they do in Italia.