Garlic and Oil Pasta

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: aglio e olio, spaghetti

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 873kcal

Author: Platings and Pairings

Garlic and Oil Pasta (or Spaghetti Aglio e Olio) is a traditional Italian recipe that comes together in under 20 minutes. It’s made with a short list of flavorful ingredients, ensuring that it’s always simple, quick, and tasty.

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Ingredients

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

12 ounces spaghetti or bucatini
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
10 cloves garlic thinly sliced
Generous pinch red pepper flakes
1/3 cup fresh parsley minced
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente. Set aside 1 1/4 cups of the pasta cooking water before you drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn golden. Being careful not to burn the garlic.
Add the red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds longer.
Add the reserved pasta-cooking water to the garlic and oil and bring to a simmer. Cook 5-6 minutes, until the liquid reduces by 1/3.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to combine.
Remove from heat and stir in parsley and parmesan. Let rest 2-3 minutes to allow the sauce to absorb further.
Season with additional salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste. Enjoy.

Video

Notes

Tips and Variations

Practice “mise en place” by having all of your ingredients chopped and measured before starting. This recipe moves quickly after all!
The garlic can burn quickly. As soon as it becomes fragrant and starts to turn golden, take the pan off of the heat.
Let the pasta dish rest for a few minutes before serving so the spaghetti can absorb more of the luscious sauce.
Garnish the finished spaghetti with breadcrumbs. This adds another layer of flavor and a subtle crunch. If you don’t have homemade breadcrumbs on hand (or you don’t feel like making them), feel free to use panko, packaged breadcrumbs, or crushed croutons.
You can also top your pasta with these fried capers. They’re little pops of goodness and cannot be missed!

Customize It

Add chicken – Prepare simply seasoned chicken breasts in your air fryer or with a sous vide machine to plate with the spaghetti.
Add seafood – Serve the spaghetti with juicy salmon, shrimp, mussels, clams, or anchovies.
Add roasted garlic cloves – Instead of sauteeing raw garlic, try adding in some roasted garlic for added flavor.
Whole wheat spaghetti – Add extra fiber and a nutty flavor to your dish by swapping in some whole wheat pasta.
Add extra flavor – Add some lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice and/or fresh basil to your finished dish.
Vegetarian and vegan variation – Aglio e olio is inherently vegetarian and vegan without the parmesan cheese. Feel free to use your favorite vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast instead and add extra veggies, like artichoke hearts, asparagus, broccoli, peas, spinach, mushrooms, green peas, roasted red peppers, or sun-dried tomatoes.

Nutrition