Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat.
When the olive oil is hot, but nowhere near smoking, add the garlic to the skillet.
Cook the garlic gently for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. You’ll know it’s done because it will become very fragrant.
Add in the crushed red pepper, a pinch of salt and pepper to the garlic oil and stir.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the tomatoes and give the pan a quick swirl to coat the tomatoes with the garlic oil and leave it off the heat until the pasta is ready.
When the pasta is al dente, reserve at least one cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta well. Add the pasta back to the pot.
Add the garlic oil to the pasta.
Then, add in a couple of tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and toss well until the noodles are slippery and really easy to toss.
Taste the pasta, add salt to taste if needed.
Right before serving the pasta, chiffonade the basil and top each individual dish.
Serve the spaghetti aglio e olio with fresh tomatoes & basil with Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper, if desired.