Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
As a foody, it’s hard for me to answer someone when they ask me what’s my favorite dish or my favorite cuisine. One thing I can say is I do have a few weaknesses like bread 🍞, pasta, and barbecued foods 🔥. When I bake fresh bread – and that includes pizza dough – or throw some food on the “barbie”, there’s something that triggers my brain and the anticipation becomes unbearable until I eat.
When it comes to pasta 🍝, I like its versatility and how easy it is to make. I can put a few ingredients together and create new recipes or simply duplicate the classics; Fettuccine Alfredo, Pasta alla Norma, Carbonara, Lasagna, Pasta al Forno, Penne alla Vodka, and so on including this one… Spaghetti Aglio e Olio!
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio translates to spaghetti with oil and garlic. This is incredibly budget-friendly and requires only 6 ingredients. As simple as it sounds, this pasta dish is amazingly flavorful! It takes 20 minutes ⏳ and dinner is ready! I’m not kidding you… it’s that fast!
To create that gorgeous and glossy sauce without being greasy is to make an oil-garlic infusion and then add a couple ladles of the starchy pasta water to it. I like to go a step further in the flavor department by adding some parsley stems and half the amount of red pepper flakes. One minute before the noodles are done, they’re tossed in the oil-water mixture and finish cooking in it while absorbing the garlicky sauce.
The secret for a perfect “infusion” is to simmer gently and not burn or brown the garlic 🧄. That’s why it’s important to keep the garlic simmering as gentle as possible. This process takes 5 minutes but keep an eye on it, stir often, and if you find that the oil mixture is simmering too much, reduce the heat to medium-low. You want to have your garlic golden brown… not beyond that. As it cooks slowly, the garlic will turn sweet giving the perfect dimension to this dish!
In my oil, I only use 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes along with my stems. You can add more but keep in mind that as the pepper flakes cook in the oil, the heat will accentuate. When tossing the spaghetti in the sauce, I add the remaining 1/8 tsp and I leave it to the discretion of my guests to add more to their liking when I serve it.
As I mentioned above, cook the pasta according to the package directions minus one minute because it will finish in the skillet, absorbing the garlicky sauce. If you make homemade spaghetti 🍝, don’t cook them past 2 ½ minutes and finish it in the skillet until done.
This is one of the rare pasta dishes I don’t cook or add cheese to. Even if you’re a cheese lover like me, I highly recommend not adding cheese because the texture will get gummy. It’s all about this glossy garlicky sauce so enjoy it as is!
Deliciously simple to make, this Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is the perfect dish to make on weeknights but also when having people over because it’s that good! With a few ingredients, this classic pasta recipe will please both your taste buds and your wallet 😋💰!
Bon Appétit! 🍽
Here are several more delicious pasta recipes for you to enjoy… 😀
– Fettuccine alle Vongole – Clam Fettuccine
– Gnudi aka Malfatti
– Spicy Sausage Penne all’Arrabbiata
– Lamb Ragù
– Italian Wedding Soup
– Pastitsio
– Orzo alla Milanese
and for even more pasta recipes 🍝, click on this link… Recipe Category • Pasta
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Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. spaghetti see Recipe
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil tips & tricks
- 6 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, divided plus more for garnish
- 7 to 8 large parsley stems tips & tricks
- 1 cup pasta water, or as needed
- 1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped tips & tricks
Directions
- In a large pot with boiling salted water, add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions minus 1 minute.
- Meanwhile, in a large cold skillet, add oil; set the heat on medium. While it’s heating up, add pressed garlic and stir very well before adding parsley stems and half red pepper flakes.
- Stir the ingredients and let the oil mixture infuse for about 5 minutes, stirring often – don’t burn the garlic. If the heat is too high, reduce to medium-low and don’t let the mixture simmer too much.
- After 5 minutes, add a couple ladles of the pasta water and give a good stir. Simmer gently for 2 minutes.
- Remove the parsley stems and discard them.
- When the pasta is almost done, transfer it to the skillet and reserve ½ cup of pasta water on the side.
- Bring the heat back to medium and gently toss the noodles until nicely coated.
- Add remaining red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes. If not done, add more pasta water.
- When pasta is cooked, sprinkle on the finely chopped parsley; toss to blend.
- Transfer to serving plates and sprinkle on more red pepper flakes.
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