Lidia Bastianich Just Told Us the First Dish She Perfected—and We Have the Recipe

Culinary icon, cookbook author and host Lidia Bastianich will be taking the MasterChef stage to help judge the auditions alongside her son, Joe. This season focuses on cooks representing various generations, and Bastianich will be judging the Baby Boomers on tonight’s episode, airing on Fox.

Ahead of tonight, we were given the incredible opportunity to interview Bastianich about this season and the advice she wants all amateur cooks to know. Plus, she shared the recipe for the first dish she learned to perfect, and it’s a five-ingredient dinner you’ll want to make ASAP. Read on for the exclusive interview.

EatingWell: Could you talk more about this season of MasterChef and what it was like judging the Boomer auditions alongside your son?

Bastianich: I think it was very interesting. The whole concept of having four different generations is a wonderful approach. I analyze the new chefs that come up from different generations professionally, and I see the new trends in all of them. But it’s interesting to see how they approach their cooking or how their cooking reflects their generation, their culture and the culture that they had at home. Especially the Boomers … I came to the United States when I was 19, and it was interesting to see those flavors that I remember when I first came to the United States come out in the contestants. One of the contestants, Rebecca, made deep-fried pork chops with sour cream and mashed potatoes. I mean, you don’t get any more American than that! [The Boomers] reflected more of their grandparents and parents: They're not wasting food, and the flavors are classic.

EatingWell: What's your No. 1 piece of advice to give any beginner home cook?

Bastianich: For anybody, especially young cooks, what's important is to go back into your culture and to remember the flavors of your culture, because those are at the basis of who you are. Recall what you have in your reserve and build upon that. Find mentors or people who you appreciate and work alongside with them—or follow them on television! Generation Z are reverting to respecting and not wasting food, cooking seasonally, which was very much the Boomers, you know, at that time, you respect that you didn't waste food, there wasn't enough food to begin with in the beginning.

EatingWell: For beginners, what's an easy dish that you recommend anyone can make and will impress guests?

Bastianich: I certainly always go to pasta. I think it's because I'm Italian, because it is economically sound and also because you can balance it any way you want. The simpler the dish, the more important the technique is, so it’s important to choose a good pasta or make your own. And make a simple sauce, whether it's a vegetable sauce or a wonderful pesto. There's a Sicilian pesto with almonds, tomatoes and some basil and rosemary. Cook some ziti, get good olive oil, get good cheese, make this pesto and you toss it together. I bet people will really be amazed at how delicious but how easy it is. Stay simple; pasta is a good way to go.

EatingWell: What was the first dish you learned to perfect, and how have you been able to adjust or revise it over the years?

Bastianich: A good basic is my Spaghetti with Oil and Garlic recipe. Cook the pasta, cook olive oil and sliced garlic until you get that golden. Then you take some of the pasta water—two ladles—and you put it in the pan with the garlic and oil. There'll be a big fizz, but you throw parsley in there and that's the basis for your garlic and oil sauce. It's delicious. You let it simmer while the pasta is cooking, and then add the pasta, a little cheese and you’re done. You can continue to add garlic and you can add anchovies, or you can move on and add shrimps or add some vegetables, some asparagus. It’s a good base, you can build that sauce any way you want.

Check out the full recipe below!

EatingWell: A spice that you think is underrated and should be in every spice cabinet?

Bastianich: Bay leaves. I love them, I have a tree and you can put a little tree on your window sill. Fresh bay leaves are more intense, but dry bay leaves you can buy and they give you the same flavors. It's a leaf and so it doesn't powder well, so you put the leaf in your cooking and then pluck it out once it has released its flavor.

EatingWell: Do you have any motivational words for those wanting to start learning how to cook but fear they're "too old" or it's "too late"?

Bastianich: I can't tell you how many emails I get specifically from people like that. Don't be afraid, have self-confidence, start simple, follow the instructions. Choose a recipe with fewer ingredients to begin with—like simple Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil—and then build upon that. Just be confident, because everybody can cook something, which is what I continue to tell everybody.

Lidia Bastianich’s Spaghettini with Oil and Garlic

This recipe was developed by Lidia Bastianich and is published in her cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen and Lidia’s Favorite Recipes. “This is the quintessential Italian pasta: just about everyone in Italy knows how to make it and loves it,” Bastianich writes. “It is one of those magical dishes whose ingredients can be pulled out of the cupboard and turned into a glorious meal in about 15 minutes. In all its simplicity, or maybe because of its simplicity, it is a favorite of many, and makes regular appearances at my table.”

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• Salt for pasta pot and to taste
• 1 pound spaghettini or vermicelli
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• ½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• ½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano cheese (optional)

Directions

Step 1

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Stir the spaghettini into the boiling water. Return to a boil, stirring frequently, and cook, semi-covered, until the pasta is tender but still very firm, about 6 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, shaking the skillet, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the crushed hot red pepper. Ladle about 1½ cups of the pasta-cooking water into the sauce; then add the parsley, the remaining olive oil, and salt to taste, and bring to a boil.

Step 3

Fish out the pasta with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly into the sauce in the skillet. Bring the sauce and pasta to a simmer, tossing to coat pasta with sauce. Cook about 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat, and toss in the grated cheese if using. Check the seasoning, adding salt and crushed red pepper if necessary. Serve immediately in warm bowls.