Description
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is a classic Italian pasta dish featuring simple yet bold flavors from garlic, olive oil, and crushed red pepper. This recipe delivers a perfectly balanced, flavorful meal with a hint of heat and the freshness of lemon and parsley, finished with grated Parmesan cheese for a rich touch. Ideal for a quick and satisfying dinner, it combines basic pantry ingredients into a comforting and aromatic dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 1 tsp salt
Sauce
- 1 bulb garlic (about 20 cloves, peeled and sliced thin)
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ tsp cracked red pepper flakes
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Boil Pasta: Gather all the ingredients and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add ½ teaspoon salt to the water to season it well.
- Cook Pasta: Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until al dente, which will take about 10 minutes. Once cooked, reserve ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water and then drain the pasta.
- Sauté Garlic: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the thinly sliced garlic, freshly cracked black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, and cracked red pepper flakes. Sauté gently until the garlic becomes fragrant and slightly golden, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Add the drained spaghetti to the saucepan with the garlic-infused oil. Toss the pasta thoroughly so every strand is coated in the flavorful oil.
- Finish Dish: Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, chopped Italian parsley, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything together until the cheese melts into the sauce and coats the pasta well. Add a little more pasta water if you prefer a looser sauce consistency.
Notes
- The garlic head contains about 20 cloves; slicing garlic thinly is key to infusing the oil without burning it while adding bold flavor to the dish.
- Classic variations include adding fresh chili peppers for heat, known as ‘spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino,’ but cracked red pepper flakes offer better heat control and affordability.
- Reserve pasta water is starchy and helps emulsify and bind the sauce to the pasta, enhancing texture and flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (approx. 125g cooked pasta)
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
