Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Garlic)
Spaghetti aglio e olio is a simple, easy pasta recipe with only 4 ingredients and a short prep you can make any weeknight. You can serve it as is, add some extra flavors, or serve alongside your other recipes.
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This spaghetti aglio e olio is my version of a comfort meal but also a struggle meal.
Not necessarily a financial struggle meal but with spaghetti, oil, garlic, and red pepper, it is easy on the wallet.
No, I’m talking about the meal you make when life is really, really overwhelming and takeout is just not in the budget.
This it the meal you make when you just can’t even.
Because if you can boil water, then you can make spaghetti aglio e olio, which is just pasta with olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes.
Simple, easy, comforting goodness.
Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies
Spaghetti aglio e olio translates to spaghetti with olive oil and garlic, so really you only need a few ingredients:
- Spaghetti – Strictly speaking, you can use just about any noodle you like, but traditionally it is made with spaghetti.
- Olive Oil -This would be a hard one to substitute, but you don’t need to worry if it is regular olive oil or extra virgin olive oil.
- Fresh Garlic – You will need about 6ish cloves, but you can add more or less based on your preference. Either very thinly slice it or just press it. You could also roast your garlic first for a slightly sweeter and richer flavor. And though Chef Kevin Ashton from Chef Reacts might come for me… dare I even suggest if you really find yourself wanting do as little work as possible use some jar-lic. Yes it’s not as good, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
- Red Pepper Flakes – You can add as little or as much as you like. We use about 3/4 teaspoon.
Optionally, you can top with parmesan cheese, fresh basil, or other Italian cheeses.
You don’t need any expensive equipment for spaghetti aglio e olio, but you might want to have:
How to Make Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
1. Prepare your spaghetti.
Start a pot of water boiling for the spaghetti.
You can add salt to your water if you want, but it is not necessary.
Add in your spaghetti to the water and cook for the about 30 seconds less than the time indicated on the package for al dente.
You can prepare it al dente or cook for a bit longer for softer noodles.
2. Prepare the olive oil and garlic.
When you have about 1 to 2 minutes left to cook your pasta, heat the olive oil, crushed/minced garlic, and red pepper flakes over medium heat.
Allow it to cook for about 1 minute or until the garlic starts to become fragrant.
3. Mix in the spaghetti and serve.
Using tongs or a slotted spoon, add the fully cooked spaghetti directly from the pot to the skillet.
Toss to combine and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on medium low heat.
Remove from heat and top with parmesan cheese and basil as desired before serving.
Serving
While it is meant to be a meal by itself, it can also help dress up any number of different Italian inspired meals.
We like to pair it with our grilled Italian chicken for an easy, complete weeknight meal.
You can also pair it with either regular Italian meatballs or spicy meatballs.
If you want some veggies, you can serve alongside Caesar salad or grilled zucchini or toss it with this Garlic Roasted Broccoli or these Roasted Garlic Parmesan Brussel Sprouts.
Storing
You can store spaghetti aglio e olio if you have leftovers or to eat as a warm lunch at work the next day, but we generally don’t recommend making it ahead, especially since it is very easy to make fresh.
If you do store the pasta, place cooled pasta in an air tight container and place in the fridge for up to about 3 to 4 days.
To reheat, you can heat it in the microwave for a few seconds or toss in a skillet over medium low heat.
Tips and Tricks
- You can add more flavors to the spaghetti aglio e olio. Some suggestions include parmesan cheese, roasted garlic, mozzarella cheese, meatballs, grilled chicken, grilled veggies, and more.
- This is optional but I do recommend adding about 1/8 to a 1/4 cup of pasta water to the pan with the oil, garlic, red pepper and pasta. The extra starch makes it creamier.
- You can also adjust the amounts you use of each ingredient. Make it spicier with more red pepper flakes, or remove them entirely for a much more mild pasta dish. Garlic can also add flavor and heat to the pasta, so feel free to add more or reduce how much you use. In a real pinch, you could use garlic powder, just don’t tell any Italian you did this!
- The spaghetti preparation is largely up to you. You can cook it until it is very tender or al dente. You can also use different types of noodles, just make sure to prepare them as directed on the package.
Other Quick and Easy Pasta Recipes
Looking for other quick and easy pasta recipes for nights you just don’t want to cook? Try these:
- Lemon Pasta
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Pasta
- Easy Homemade Meat Sauce
- Ravioli with Sauce
- The Best Real Italian Tomato Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prepare your spaghetti according to the package instructions.
- In the last minute or two that the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
- Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and sautee for about 1 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the spaghetti directly from the pot of water and reduce heat to medium low.
- Toss and cook the spaghetti with olive oil and garlic for about 2 minutes before removing from heat and serving with cheese or fresh basil on top.
