Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
A quintessential pasta dish you can make on any weeknight in less than 30 minutes using just a handful ingredients that you probably have on hand! It is packed with so much flavor, and it is amazingly garlicky without being too overpowering. Serve with wine and crusty garlic bread!
Remember that episode in FRIENDS when Rachel messes up the trifle?
But Joey ended up eating everyone’s plates and says, “What’s not to like? Custard, good. Jam, good. Beef, GOOD!”
Well, I kind of have to say the same thing here.
Pasta, good. Toasted breadcrumbs, good. Garlic, good. Parmesan cheese, GOOD!
I mean, there are only good things here.
Including a thin, creamy pasta sauce made with pasta water, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, garlic, and all the pan drippings.
It also doesn’t require a ton of ingredients so you can make this on any given weeknight.
Just don’t forget the extra Parmesan cheese that goes right on top for serving.
That’s almost as crucial as the crusty garlic bread and wine that should be served here.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
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
- 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 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. Cook, stirring constantly, and add remaining water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until cheese has melted and desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately with breadcrumbs, garnished with remaining Parmesan and parsley, if desired.
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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.
NO cheese, …no lemon… use anchovies ( 1 can for added flavor) Italian bread crumbs if you like.
In step 3 above, heat the olive il and garlic togther, when the garlic cloves just start to redden and the entire can of anchovies along with their olive oil, and keep stirring so that the anchovies separate and cook in the oil. Add to drained pasta. Add the bread crumbs if you must. Sprinkle with minced Italian parsley.
Chungah, William who is staying with us from Italy, says this is one of their go to meals when they are having a busy day. I’m going to make this recipe for him.
Let me know how he likes it – he’d be the true critic, right? 🙂
Italian parsley, correct?
Yes, that is correct.
I love this, it’s one of my favorite things to make on a busy weeknight. I have never tried putting pasta water in the sauce though and can’t wait to try!
Can you substitute Italian breadcrumbs?
Yes.
Do I remove the breadcrumbs before I brown the garlic , if not, won’t it burn if I cook it twice?
Yes, you are completely right. The breadcrumbs should be set aside.
maybe a little lemon zest?
Yes!
Leave out the breadcrumbs, add anchovies.
…and you have my version from when I was a kid. Anchovies- New England, specifically Azorean Portuguese
How much anchovies would you add?
what is French Style Breadcrumbs
French style breadcrumbs are breadcrumbs from French bread.