In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the tomato puree, water, sugar, a generous pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then turn heat on low to keep warm.
Add the olive oil and garlic in a large 12" non-stick skillet and turn on heat to medium. Then add the red pepper flakes and cook for no more than a minute.
Add the dried spaghetti to the hot oil mixture and turn the heat to medium high. Then spoon two ladlefuls of the bubbling tomato sauce over the noodles.
Flatten the spaghetti into the sauce as best you can with a flat utensil. For the first 3-4 minutes, continue to push the spaghetti into the saucy mixture; you can even spoon some of the sauce up, over the spaghetti. Do not flip or stir the spaghetti or disturb it too much.
At the end of the first 3-4 minutes, once the sauce has been absorbed and the spaghetti sizzles in the oil, use a spatula or tongs to flip the spaghetti over in two sections. The noodles will stick together and start to turn golden and charred in places.
Add another two ladlefuls of the tomato sauce over the flipped spaghetti, once again pressing the noodles with a flat utensil to get everything coated and covered. Again, at the end of another 3-4 minutes, when the sauce is absorbed and the bottom of the pasta has some char, flip.
Add another two ladlefuls of sauce over the spaghetti. For the third round of saucing, start breaking apart the noodles and swirl everything together. Once mixed up, allow the spaghetti to cook until the bottom starts to sizzle and brown. This will take another 3-4 minutes.
Taste a noodle. If it's cooked and al dente, it's done. Otherwise add one more ladleful of sauce and keep cooking until the sauce is absorbed and sizzling.
When the pasta is al dente and the sauce is thick and has charred bits and pieces, it's ready. Serve in pasta bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese.