Plain pasta, particularly the silky kind like spaghetti, is the perfect plain base for so many dishes. Tomato marinara sauce and creamy carbonara are classic pairings for spaghetti, but Nigella Lawson goes even simpler with a four-ingredient pasta recipe.

The iconic British chef says Marmite is a cupboard staple worth reaching for when craving a speedy, delicious meal. She said that while the combination of pasta and Marmite "sounds odd", it's inspired by a notable dish. Nigella explained: "There's a traditional day-after-the-roast pasta dish which uses a crumbled stock cube, along with some butter, olive oil, chopped rosemary and a little of the pasta cooking water to make a flavoursome sauce for spaghetti." Marmite provides dimensional flavours, notably "saltiness and savouriness", that you might look for in a stock cube.

Nigella's recipe is simple in its ingredients (only four) and method. The timings hinge on how long the pasta takes to cook, typically eight to 12 minutes.

Nigella's Marmite spaghetti recipe

Ingredients

375g spaghetti

50g unsalted butter

One teaspoon of Marmite or Vegemite (or more to taste)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (to serve)

Method

This recipe is open to interpretation. You can swap parmesan cheese for a vegetarian alternative or substitute it with something you prefer, like a simple cheddar.

Fill a saucepan with boiling salted water and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.

When the pasta is almost cooked, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the Marmite/Vegemite and one tablespoon of the pasta water, stirring thoroughly to dissolve.

Reserve half a cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta and pour the Marmite/Vegemite mixture over the drained spaghetti, adding a little reserved pasta water to meld everything together if necessary. Serve with plenty of grated cheese.