Make sure you fry the tomato paste directly in the olive oil for a minute or two before the spaghetti ever hits the skillet. As it cooks, it turns a shade darker and loses that harsh, raw tang, giving you that rich, slow-simmered tomato depth in a fraction of the time.
Don't forget to scoop out a cup of the cooking water right before draining. Once you toss the cooked spaghetti into the paste, splash that water in bit by bit so the sauce loosens up and clings to every single strand. Go easy and add just what the noodles ask for; pour in too much and you'll end up with a watery puddle pooling at the bottom of the pan.
