Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil! A weeknight hero (30 min meal) with pasta, breadcrumbs, garlic and Parmesan. So easy and budget-friendly!
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
Equipment
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.
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.