Mindy Kaling Recreates a Dish from FX’s Breakout Series ‘The Bear’: ‘It’s SO Good’

Just like the rest of us, The Office alum Mindy Kaling has found herself completely obsessed with the FX drama series, The Bear. The series (which is available to stream on Hulu) revolves around a young fine-dining chef named Carmen aka “Carmy” (played by Jeremy Allen White), who returns home to take over his family’s sandwich shop in Chicago.

The 43-year-old Kaling has been known to venture into the kitchen and cook some of her favorite recipes for social media (who could forget her tasty spinach-artichoke puffs recipe?). This time, she decided to recreate a dish from the show that is an absolute must-try: Carmy’s famous spaghetti recipe.

“Hey guys, I just finished watching The Bear. It was so good,” she said in the video. “In the last episode, the lead of the show (Carmy), who’s kind of a tortured chef, makes this spaghetti recipe that his deceased brother loved. It looks so freaking delicious and so I thought I would make it and transport myself into the world of the Chicago food scene.”

We have to mention that Kaling doesn’t give instructions or the exact measurements of the ingredients she uses for the recipe. So, we are going to try our best to gather what we can from the video, supplementing with the partial recipe shown in the show itself. (Let’s do it!)

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for taste

10 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon of chili flakes

1 bunch of fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 onion, halved

1 stick of butter

1 (16-ounce) package of spaghetti noodles

2 (28-ounce) cans of San Marzano tomatoes

1 (16-ounce) package of mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions

1. Make the Basil-Infused Oil: In a large saucepan over medium heat, add half cup of olive oil and the chopped garlic cloves into a saucepan. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of chili flakes to the mixture and stir together. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, then add basil. Remove from heat and carefully pour mixture into a blender or food processor, pulsing to combine. The mixture will resemble a thin pesto.
2. Using a second large saucepan, fill halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add spaghetti noodles and cook according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water for the sauce.
3. In a separate pan, add a stick of butter and a teaspoon of olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Add the onion, sliced-side down, and simmer until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, cover the pan with a lid and allow the sauce to simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove the onion halves from the sauce (they're just there to infuse the dish with flavor. If you'd like, you can let them cool and roughly chop them, stirring them into your sauce). Stir the basil oil into the tomato sauce, letting it simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes more. Season with salt to taste.
5. Toss noodles in sauce, adding reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Top it off with mozzarella cheese. Mix, top with fresh, torn basil and serve.