Aglio e Olio (Spaghetti with garlic olive oil)
Recipe video above. Aglio e Olio - Garlic Oil Spaghetti - is the classic Italian pantry pasta made with just 3 basic ingredients: pasta, garlic and olive oil. Don't skimp on the oil, use a good one and get the salt amount right, and you'll be blown away by how delicious something so simple can be!For quick ways to incorporate vegetables into this, see Note 1. And as for what to do with leftovers - make crispy spaghetti fritters! See Note 4.
Servings: 4 - 5 people
Calories: 564cal
Ingredients
- 500g/ 1 lb spaghetti (I use No 5 spaghetti but any long strand pasta will work)
- 2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , for cooking pasta (halve for table salt, +50% for flakes)
Garlic Oil Sauce
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (the better the oil, the tastier your pasta!)
- 6 large garlic cloves , finely sliced
- 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), optional - sub pinch of black pepper for not spicy
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, +50% for flakes)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley (Note 2)
For serving
- Parmesan or parmigiano reggiano , finely grated, for serving
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- Cook pasta per packet minus 1 minute in salted water, reserve water, drain. Slowly sauté garlic in oil, add chilli flakes, then pasta, 1/2 cup pasta water and salt, toss, finish with parsley. Serve.
FULL RECIPE:
- Cook pasta - Bring 4 litres / quarts of water to the boil. Add the 2 teaspoons of salt and the pasta. Cook for the packet direction time, MINUS 1 minute.
- Scoop then drain (IMPORTANT!) - Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Then drain the pasta.
- Garlic oil - 4 minutes before the pasta is ready, heat the oil in a large ~30cm/12" deep pan over medium heat. (Note 3 if you don't have a pan this size). Add the garlic and sauté gently for 2 - 3 minutes until it is a very light golden brown - don't rush this step, it's key to infuse the oil with garlic flavour. Add the chilli flakes and stir for 20 - 30 seconds until the garlic is light golden, do not let the garlic become brown, it will be bitter.
- Toss, toss, toss! Add the drained pasta, ~1/2 cup pasta cooking water and salt. Toss over medium high heat until you no longer see water and oil pooled on the base of the pan, it has combined to form a sauce clinging to the pasta (~1 - 1 1/2 minutes). Add parsley, quickly toss through. The pasta should be slippery and slick with sauce. If at any point the pasta gets sticky or gluggy, just add another slosh of pasta water and toss to loosen.
- Serve immediately with a shower of parmesan.
Notes
1. Easy ways to add veg (optional) - Add asparagus, broccolini or green beans in with the pasta towards the end of the cooking time so everything can be drained together. Or add baby spinach when you add the pasta, wilts in seconds!
2. If you don't have fresh parsley, I substitute with 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives, or 2 tbsp dried parsley, or chives.
3. Deep pan for tossing - If you don't have a large deep pan large enough to enthusiastically toss all the spaghetti, do the garlic sautéing step in a saucepan, put the drained pasta back into the pasta cooking pot, pour the garlic oil and pasta cooking water over and toss in the pot.
4. Leftover Spaghetti Fritters - Roughly cut leftover pasta into 2cm / 1" pieces (I use scissors in the container/bowl the pasta is in). Measure out 2 tightly packed cups, add 1 egg and 3/4 cup shredded cheese (75g). Mix, scoop 1/4 cup tightly packed and tap out into pan with heated olive oil, lightly press down with spatula and cook until golden and crispy on each side. Makes 13 - 14 fritters, dip in sauce of choice - aioli, Pink Taco Sauce, Bang Bang Sauce or even ketchup!
Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days though this pasta does dry out overnight because there's not much sauce on it. I like to revive leftovers by turning them into fritters (above).
Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.
Nutrition
Calories: 564cal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Sodium: 477mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 396IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg