An easy pasta recipe that takes about the same amount of time that it takes to cook the pasta is my idea of a great dinner. This garlic and oil pasta is one such recipe and the pairing potential with a crispy chicken cutlet and fresh green salad is one to make on repeat.
You’re going to want to make it once a week.
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Before we get to the recipe, let’s clear something up. You might hear this recipe referred to as pasta aglio e olio (garlic and oil) or also aglio olio (garlic oil). Both work!
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The few ingredients you’ll need
Your shopping list for this simple garlic spaghetti is a short one. And because the ingredients needed are minimal, the quality of each is essential.
Extra-virgin olive oil. I prefer to use olive oil is single-sourced (I’m partial to olive oils from the Tuscan region), stored in an opaque bottle and is cold-pressed. These are essentially the top things to look for when buying olive oil. Read the label —it will tell you everything you need to know.
Fresh garlic. Look for whole heads of garlic that are bright white in color. Make sure the “paper” is tight and intact. And when you gently squeeze the head of garlic, it should feel firm and not “dry”.
Ready to make some pasta noodles with garlic and olive oil?
Before you read this whole post (and don’t worry if you choose to jump down to the recipe!), you could almost be eating dinner!
First, cook up a long strand pasta like spaghetti until al dente. You can also use your favorite shape but twirly shapes of pasta hug the bits of garlic better.
While the pasta cooks, heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and proceed to the instructions below.
TIP
1 average head of garlic = approximately 8-10 cloves
-Josie + Nina
Recipe notes
- Reserve some extra pasta water (about 1/2 cup). You might need it for to make a little extra sauce or to cool down the crushed red pepper.
- Serve as a side dish or a main course when nothing but a big bowl of pasta will do.
- I used a large All-Clad skillet for this garlic oil spaghetti recipe. You can use anything that has a wide base in it.
- I don’t recommend using a non-stick pan as it may take a little longer to brown the garlic.
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10-Minute Spaghetti with Garlic & Olive Oil (Aglio e Olio)
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Equipment
- 10-12" skillet
Ingredients
- ½ lb cooked thin spaghetti, reserve ½ cup of pasta water; I use Barilla pasta
- 1 head garlic with cloves separated, approximately 10-12 cloves
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more to taste
- ½ lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper , to taste
- ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
- splash of dry white wine, optional; as needed
Instructions
- Peel and thinly slice garlic cloves. (see note below)
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic to heated oil and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. You want the garlic to get golden brown not to burn.
- Sprinkle in the crushed red pepper and heat for 30 seconds. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice and the wine, if using. Heat for another two minutes or so.
- Using large tongs, toss cooked pasta in the skillet making sure to coat all the strands with the garlic-kissed oil.
- Sprinkle over the fresh parsley and parmesan to serve. Cue the singing angels!
Notes
- Cook pasta in plenty of salted water. You want it to be salty like the sea!
- Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water to use (save it for the next day!) if you need to create more sauce or for reheating the next day.
This was so good!!
Thanks Sabrina! It’s such an easy and quick recipe 😊 glad you enjoyed it!