Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil (Aglio e Olio)
Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil, also known in Italian as Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is a simple pasta dish made with only 4 ingredients. It’s quick, easy, and ready to serve in 15 minutes. Perfect for a quick pasta night any day of the week.
If you haven’t heard of this dish yet, then you are in for a real treat!
The Simple Garlic and Olive Oil Sauce…
Fresh garlic and extra virgin olive oil are the ingredients for this sauce. It’s so simple, that you can make it in less than 15 minutes. ( It’s the BEST!)
Both the extra virgin olive oil and fresh garlic offer a rich taste from their ingredients, and yet it gives a bold, aromatic flavor. While the fresh Italian parsley offers freshness to the flavors.
It is so good, your family might enjoy the change from having pasta with “red tomato” sauce.
Our entire family loves this pasta dish!
Our mom loves to cook simple Italian meals with minimal ingredients. For as long as we could remember, this was her “go-to” dish whenever we were hungry and wanted something to eat.
Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil is a common dish in Italy and it is so delicious and so quick to whip up – it’s amazing!
How to Make Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil?
Our recipe for Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil is made with 2 easy steps!
1. First, you begin cooking the spaghetti in a pot of boiling salted water; and at the same time, start making the garlic and olive oil sauce in a small saucepan, skillet, or small pot. Then toss in some fresh chopped parsley.
2. Second, when the spaghetti is ready, drain and toss the pasta together with the sauce. Topped with additional sprinkle of fresh parsley. Then serve!
The only thing you will need is some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table when serving; but for additional flavor, we prefer pecorino cheese with this dish.
Quick Options and Tips…
- For a healthier twist, try using whole-grain pasta, or even gluten-free. At times we like mixing both kinds of pasta so the kids won’t notice that they’re eating something healthier.
- For optimal flavor in the sauce, use the highest quality of extra virgin olive oil. Make sure it says on the bottle “Product of Italy” (not packed in Italy). Otherwise, they are “mixed oils” from different countries, and mixed oils have NO flavor.
How is the Garlic and Oil Sauce Made?
- First, the key to making this simple sauce is using some “salted water” when cooking the spaghetti. So you will need to reserve some of it before draining the pasta.
- Next, it is added to the garlic and olive oil mixture.
- Finally, this simple technique creates “the sauce” without adding any additional ingredients. And, it works every time. 😉
(*Full recipe card below!)
Ingredients for Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil (Spaghetti Aglio e Olio!)
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1 pound of Spaghetti (Barilla or Garofalo, or whole-grain)
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1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
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5 large garlic cloves – sliced in halves, or 6 to 8 medium cloves
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1/4 tsp. sea salt
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1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley (about one handful)
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1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
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2/3 cup of boiling salted water (taken from the pot that is boiling the spaghetti )
-
grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for serving
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optional: fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large pot of water, add 1/2 tablespoon of salt to the water and bring it to a boil. Add spaghetti to the boiling water—cook the spaghetti for about 6 minutes for al dente. (do not overcook the pasta).
2. In the meantime, pour 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil into a small quart-size pot on low heat. Gently heat and add the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until garlic is golden, but not brown.
3. Immediately turn off the heat, and remove the pot from the burner. The hot oil will continue to brown the garlic.
4. Toss in fresh parsley while it’s still very hot and cover with a lid. This will infuse the flavor of parsley without burning it.
5. Then grab a measuring cup, carefully scoop up 2/3 cup of the boiling salted water from the pot cooking the spaghetti, and pour it into the oil mixture. Set aside.
6. Drain the spaghetti when ready. Place the spaghetti back into the large pot and pour the garlic and oil mixture into the spaghetti. Turn the heat back on low and simmer while stirring the spaghetti for 1 minute. This will allow the flavors to get absorbed into the spaghetti.
7. Serve spaghetti in individual pasta bowls. Serve with fresh cracked black pepper and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table. Buon Appetito!
Serves 4 to 6
There’s nothing like a bowl of pasta for an easy dinner or for meatless nights. Pasta is comfort food in all seasons.
Try this recipe, you won’t be disappointed.
ENJOY!!
Additional Quick & Easy Pasta Recipes!
- Ravioli Bake Casserole
- Spaghetti with Zucchini (alla Nerano)
- Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce
- Bucatini with Truffle Oil and Ricotta Salata
- Vegetable Bolognese with Pappardelle
- Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Sauce
- Cacio e Pepe Recipe
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil (Ready in 15 minutes!)
Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil is an Italian dish made with only 4 ingredients and it is served with grated Parmesan cheese on top. A quick and easy dish that;s ready in 15 minutes, and very satisfying!
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
6 minutes
Total Time
11 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound of Spaghetti (Barilla or Garofalo, or whole-grain spaghetti)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 large garlic cloves - sliced in halves, or 6 to 8 medium cloves
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley (about one handful)
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2/3 cup of boiling salted water (taken from the pot that is boiling the spaghetti )
- grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for serving
- optional: fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot of water, add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water and bring to boil. Add spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook the spaghetti for about 6 minutes for al dente. (do not overcook the pasta).
- In the meantime, in a small quart size pot, and on low heat, pour 1/2 cup of olive oil. Gently heat and add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until garlic is golden, but not brown.
- Immediately turn off the heat, and remove the pot from the burner. The hot oil will continue to brown the garlic.
- Toss in fresh parsley while it's still very hot and cover with a lid. This will infuse the flavor of parsley without burning it.
- Then grab a measuring cup, and carefully scoop up 2/3 cup of boiling salted water from the pot cooking the spaghetti, and pour into the oil mixture. Set aside.
- Drain the spaghetti when ready. Place the spaghetti back into the large pot and pour garlic and oil mixture into the spaghetti. Turn the heat back on low and simmer while stirring the spaghetti for 1 minute. This will allow the flavors to get absorbed into the spaghetti.
- Serve spaghetti into individual pasta bowls. Serve with fresh cracked black pepper and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table.
- Serves 4 to 6
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6 servingsServing Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 375Total Fat: 18.6gCarbohydrates: 44.2gProtein: 9.2g
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 serving | |
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 375 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 18.6g | 24% |
| Saturated Fat 2.7g | 13% |
| Cholesterol 55mg | 18% |
| Sodium 102mg | 4% |
| Total Carbohydrate 44.2g | 16% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.4g | 1% |
| Total Sugars 0.1g | |
| Protein 9.2g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 32mg | 2% |
| Iron 3mg | 17% |
| Potassium 195mg | 4% |
Excellent approach. Only changes we’ve made are: Add sea salt to sauce when adding pasta water. (It doesn’t dissolve in oil.) Add more sea salt to taste when serving. We’ve found it needs an addition small pinch.
Thanks so much, Todd! Welcome to our website, it’s very nice to meet you. Glad you enjoyed this recipe, and as always, w mention tasting and adjusting the seasonings if needed. Hope you will continue to look around our site and find additional recipes to try. Enjoy and Happy cooking!
Always one of my favorites!
Aw, thanks, Abbe! Have a great evening!
I could grab a big slice of bread and so happy with this right now! Beautiful and simple – my kinda dinner.
Thanks so much!
You just can't go wrong with these deliciously simple ingredients!
Thanks Joanne!