The (Garlic) Pasta

Fill a 3-quart saucier with 3 quarts cold water, add salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Amanda Suarez / Serious Eats While the water heats, combine olive oil and garlic cloves in a pasta pan or wok and place over low heat. Cook, stirring ocasionally, until garlic takes on a light golden color and cloves become meltingly soft, about 15 minutes. Amanda Suarez / Serious Eats Add spaghetti to now-boiling water and cook until just al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes less than package instructions. Amanda Suarez / Serious Eats While pasta cooks, when garlic just starts to take on golden coloring, add honey to pan and stir to combine. Increase heat to medium high and cook, stirring constantly, until garlic cloves just start to lightly brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of pasta water, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Amanda Suarez / Serious Eats Add cooked pasta to pan with garlic sauce. Cook, stirring and tossing constantly, until sauce becomes creamy and emulsified, about 2-3 minutes. If the pan looks like it is becoming oily and the pasta is starting to fry at any time, add pasta water from the pasta pot a 1/4 cup at a time and cook, tossing and stirring the pasta consantly, until sauce becomes emulsified. Amanda Suarez / Serious Eats Turn off heat and add grated cheese. Toss and stir pasta until cheese melts seamlessly into the sauce. Add lime juice and toss to distribute. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately with halved limes and more grated cheese alongside. Amanda Suarez / Serious Eats