When started discovering Italian cuisine I could not imagine that a so simple pasta recipe will become my favorite. I am talking about a super easy, fast and delicious pasta recipe. To make the sauce you need only two ingredients; garlic and oil. Ladies and gentlemen let me present you spaghetti aglio e olio.
Aglio e olio is a traditional Italian pasta dish coming from Naples. The dish is made by lightly sauteeing sliced garlic in olive oil and tossing with spaghetti. Traditionally you just need these two ingredients. But I prefer adding some red pepper flakes.
Moreover, finely chopped parsley can also be added as a garnish, along with grated parmesan or pecorino cheese. Although according to some traditional recipes, cheese should not be added.
By adding dried red pepper flakes the recipe becomes almost the same with aglio, olio e peperoncino. The main difference being that in aglio, olio e peperoncino there are small dried red chiles instead of dried pepper flakes.
This dish is super easy and super tasty at the same time too. The perfect idea for pasta lovers who do not have a lot of time to cook or to go to the market and buy extra ingredients. I think that everyone has at the kitchen some garlic and olive oil.
Spaghetti aglio e olio tips
The recipe is very simple, no special attention is needed. The only crucial point is the temperature of the olive oil. The olive oil should not be hot when we add the garlic. We don’t want to fry the garlic, we want to flavor the olive oil with the aroma of the garlic. That is why olive oil should be in medium heat, and not high. Or else the garlic will get burnt.
Spaghetti aglio e olio
Ingredients
- 500 gr spaghetti
- 1/3 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 6-7 large garlic cloves cut into thin slivers
- ½ tsp dried red pepper flakes optional
- pasta cooking water
- ½ cup minced fresh parsley optional
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional
- salt
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Then add pasta and cook until al dente. Set aside almost 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water before you drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a pot large enough to hold the pasta since you will have to add pasta in the pot with the sauce. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until it just begins to turn golden. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add the reserved pasta-cooking water to the garlic and oil and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by about a third.
- Add the drained pasta to the garlic sauce and toss. Off the heat, add the parsley and parmesan and toss well.
- Finally, taste for seasoning and serve with extra parmesan on the side and fresh ground pepper.
So this was my recipe for Saturday pasta, spaghetti aglio e olio. A recipe that has everything you need from a recipe. It is fast and easy to make, budget friendly and most of all super delicious. While, you can easily make it vegan by removing the cheese.
If you want to see my pasta recipes like this one you can click here. I ‘ll be happy to hear from you what is your favorite paste recipe, so please do not hesitate to comment below or contact me on Instagram, or Facebook or Twitter!
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