Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
by Chungah
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Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil! A weeknight hero (30 min meal) with pasta, breadcrumbs, garlic and Parmesan. So easy and budget-friendly!
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why you’ll love This Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Recipe
- Weeknight superhero. Whip up a restaurant-quality pasta dish in just 30 minutes start to finish! It’s speedy enough for busy weeknights (or a quick lunch or late night snack) yet fancy enough for weekend company or date night.
- Ultimate pantry meal. This elegant, low-effort dish comes from just a handful of easy-to-find pantry staples – pasta, olive oil, breadcrumbs, garlic, and Parmesan.
- Favorited comfort food all around. Aglio e olio is Italian comfort food that is so simple yet so flavorful just by combining starchy pasta water with olive oil and creating a rich, creamy sauce (without cream or butter!) that clings so effortlessly to the pasta – a crowd-favorite loved by all, even the little ones!
What Is Spaghetti Aglio e Olio?
Algio e olio translates to garlic and oil. It is a classic inexpensive Italian pasta dish, originating from Naples, Italy, made with pantry staples such as spaghetti, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
How to make Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
- Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta in salted water just until al dente, reserving 1 cup pasta water and draining well. Salt the pasta water generously so the spaghetti can absorb the flavor inside out.
- Toast the breadcrumbs. Toast the French-style breadcrumbs in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. French-style breadcrumbs are a great way to use up leftover baguette or a rustic loaf, yielding incredibly light, textured crumbs for alglio e olio (instructions below).
- Sauté the aromatics. Cook the garlic and red pepper flakes (or calabrian chili flakes) until the garlic is golden, watching carefully so the garlic does not burn.
- Add the pasta and emulsify. Add the pasta, Parmesan and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, stirring constantly and vigorously until the sauce has thickened and clings to the pasta. Pro tip: stir in 1 tablespoon butter for added richness.
- Serve. Serve warm, topped with toasted breadcrumbs and garnished with parsley and additional Parmesan.
How to make French-style breadcrumbs
- Tear the leftover stale French bread into small, equal-sized chunks, about 1-2 inches (if the bread is not stale, let it sit out for 1-2 days).
- Place the torn bread pieces into a food processor and pulse in 5-10 second bursts until the desired crumb consistency is reached, working carefully not to over-pulse (or it will become powdery).
Olive Oil vs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive oil
Much less expensive than extra virgin olive oil, olive oil is made from a blend of pure, cold-pressed olives and processed oils (oils that have been treated with chemicals or heat). Olive oil will have a milder, more neutral taste.
Extra virgin olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil is unrefined (not exposed to chemical or heat treatment), and is the least processed form of olive oil. With more olive taste, this is the highest grade of olive oil.
What kind of olive oil should I use for aglio e olio?
Use high quality extra virgin olive oil as it serves as a primary flavor component for aglio e olio. Extra virgin olive oil will also bind easily with the starchy pasta water for emulsification, creating that velvety, glossy sauce that coats every noodle.
What to Serve with Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Recipe
Essential Tools for Making Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Large cast iron skillet
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio: Frequently Asked Questions
Linguine or fettuccine are both great alternatives. These pastas work perfectly with the garlic and olive oil sauce, and are easy to swap in for spaghetti. If you prefer, you can also try gluten-free pasta.
French-style breadcrumbs are made from crusty French bread (instructions above), yielding a higher crust-to-crumb ratio. This type of breadcrumb adds a great crunch to aglio e olio, enhancing its texture and flavor.
Because the sauce is made with such few ingredients, use fresh garlic, slicing the garlic paper-thin, for the best possible flavor.
Pre-packaged shredded cheese often contains anti-caking agents, which can cause it to clump when melting. For smoother results, always use freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, adding it a handful at a time.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. When reheating, simply add a splash of water or extra olive oil to keep the pasta moist and prevent it from drying out.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 cup fresh French-style breadcrumbs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1 cup water and drain well.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until browned and toasted, about 3-5 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- Heat remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add pasta, 3/4 cup Parmesan and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water.
- Increase the heat to medium high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, and add remaining pasta water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the cheese has melted and the desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately with breadcrumbs, garnished with remaining Parmesan and parsley, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Salt the pasta water. Salting the pasta water will season the pasta from the inside out, allowing the pasta to absorb the salt while cooking. The general rule of thumb is to use at least 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt per pound of pasta.
- Use good quality extra virgin olive oil. With its short ingredient list of mainly olive oil and garlic, good quality extra virgin olive oil is best. Poor quality olive oil can yield bland aglio e olio.
- Slice the garlic, not mince. Thinly slice the garlic for sweet, nutty flavors. Mincing the garlic will lead to harsher, more pungent flavors.
- Avoid browning the garlic too much. The key is a perfect golden brown. Burning the garlic can result in bitter flavors.
- Add a kick of heat. Crushed red pepper flakes will add a depth of flavor and a little bit of subtle heat to your pasta. Pro tip: add calabrian chili flakes instead of crushed red pepper flakes for more fruity, smoky, rounded flavors with some noticeable heat.
- Freshly grated cheese goes a long way. Always add your cheese, a handful at a time, to avoid clumping.
- Pasta water serves as a binder. To create a silky, glossy sauce, add hot starchy pasta water, tossing the pasta constantly. This will force the oil and water to emulsify to become a rich, creamy sauce, coating the noodles perfectly.
- Add a touch of butter. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter to the pasta for added richness.
- French-style breadcrumbs provide the ultimate crunch. These breadcrumbs, also known as the “poor man’s Parmesan” using breadcrumbs for grated cheese, are coarser and lighter, yielding a much higher crust-to-crumb ratio for a rustic crunch to pair beautifully with the silky, garlicky spaghetti noodles.
- Add garnishes. Garnishes are always optional but a fresh sprinkle of parsley or some Parmesan will certainly take your pasta to the next level, adding more flavor, texture and contrast.
- Mix it up. Add your favorite protein (chicken or shrimp), vegetables (mushrooms, broccoli or onion), or fresh herbs.
- Reheat with a splash of water or olive oil. This will keep the pasta moist and prevent it from drying out.
Did you make this recipe?
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Such a great recipe, one of my faves…and so customizable with various pastas, adding in fresh basil (step 3), various herbs and spices, sometimes some bacon, I tried adding some chicken broth powder to the pasta water (nice), etc etc etc. Love this one.
It’s very good but I’d recomend making it with unsalted butter and cream. It helps everything combine and ments the cheese easier I find.
I used panko crumbs, roasted garlic, and a Tuscan herb blend in mine. It turned out so delicious! I loved the flavor and crunch, and it was so simple. Great recipe!!
This was amazing! I had one problem though, my Parmesan melted into clumps. I used a bagged Shredded Parmesan, was that the problem?
I had the same problem. Curious to see the answer.
That’s probably why. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with gunk like cellulose or corn starch to keep it from sticking together in the bag. If you’re going to melt cheese, you should always shred it yourself from a block (or, in the case of Parmesan, use the kind that comes fresh from the deli).
Great recipe…I tried it but replaced cheese w organic croutons…yummy & healthier version…..
Thank you for this recipe my husband loved it . I add some lemon zest while frying the garlic and chilli flakes. It’s awesome . I will cook this every time
I’m sure the lemon was a great addition. Thanks for sharing, Katherine!
This is insanely easy and delicious.
might seem like a daft question, but what is crushed red pepper flakes? is it crushed chili? or an actual bell pepper crushed? just checking before I make this
also how much mls is 1/2 cup of pasta water to keep?
Crushed red pepper flakes is a condiment consisting of dried and crushed red chili peppers.
1/2 cup = 118.294 mL. Please note that there are many metric conversion calculators available online as well. That’s basically what I use when you ask for the conversion. 🙂
This is the first recipe I have seen online that comes close to my grandfathers recipe from Sicily, Italy. We also added fresh mushrooms, onion, bell peppers and sometimes shrimp to the part where you add the garlic and red pepper flakes. So yummy MUNGA!!
Oh awesome! Thanks for sharing!
I made this last week and it was delicious! Are there any specific types of wine you would recommend to pair with this dish?
Since it’s summer, I would pair it with a fresh white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc. But it’s really personal preference. You could easily have a red wine with it as well. It’s very versatile!
Is there any nutritional information for this recipe?
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
I order this dish at my Local Italian Restaurant…OMG…it’s to die for…I have a Loaf of French Bread that I am going to use in this recipe…:) OMG, thanks for creating this recipe…now I don’t have to spend $$$ in a restaurant when I can make this one at home!!!!
That’s the idea! thanks Victoria 🙂
Trying this tonight…so excited!!
I hope you’ll enjoy it!
This looks and sounds amazing. I will be making this Monday, 3/26/18, for my family. I know they will love it. Thank you so much for sharing.
It’s so good!! I added shrimp and lemon. Yummmmy!!!
To double the recipe would I double all ingredients?
Yes, that is correct.
Coming from an Italian heritage family (Piedmont region), we make this often. I will sometimes add a little pancetta rather than anchovies) and have even been known to use crushed croutons if I didn’t have any italian or french bread on hand! It is my husbands favorite!
Just made this tonite and it was VERY good! I did not have any french bread, so I used Panko breadcrumbs instead, and they added just the right amount of crunch on top. Next time I will only use 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs. We had a lot leftover. Anyway, whole family liked this, and I will make it again. Served it with a good green salad and bruschetta. Perfect Italian meal 🙂
Thank you for this lovely idea ! Comments are very helpful, as usual ! Thank you so much !
How could shrimp play in this dish?
You can add your desired protein in step #3 with the garlic.