Garlic spaghetti is one of the easiest pasta dishes you’ll ever make. It’s made with 4 basic ingredients and comes together in 20 minutes. Try this fuss-free recipe once and you’ll be hooked.
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Why you’ll love spaghetti Aglio e Olio
- This garlic and olive oil pasta also goes by the fancy name spaghetti Aglio e Olio. It’s a simple recipe where pasta is tossed in olive oil infused with garlic and red chili flakes flavor.
- It’s super easy to make with spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and some non-traditional optional ingredients like parsley, Italian bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese.
- Delish and easy to prepare, comes together in 20 minutes or less.
- Try it once and you’ll add it to your weekly rotation of meals.
- Simple enough to make it on busy weeknights and fancy enough to cook for date night.
- The aromatic oil which is infused with garlic, red chili flakes, fresh herbs, and Parmesan cheese makes this dish always a winner!
- It’s versatile. You can adjust the flavors to fit your taste.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make garlic spaghetti –
- Spaghetti
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Red chili flakes
- Salt
- Pepper
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Parsley
- Italian bread crumbs
- Parmesan cheese
All the ingredients’ exact measurements are mentioned in the recipe card below.
- Spaghetti – this recipe calls for spaghetti pasta, you can also use any long pasta like linguine, fettuccini, or tagliatelle pasta.
- Extra virgin olive oil – since EVOO is the main ingredient, I recommend you use high-quality extra virgin olive oil. It makes a difference!
- Garlic – I like to use thinly sliced garlic. Don’t skimp on garlic, it’s a main ingredient. Garlic infuses rich, nutty flavor into the olive oil.
- Crushed red chili flakes – don’t skip them, it adds a touch of heat to spaghetti. Traditionally fresh pepperoncini are used, if you do have access to fresh red hot chili peppers do use them.
- Lemon zest and lemon juice – add tang to the garlic olive oil sauce.
- Fresh parsley – adds a pop of color and fresh flavors.
- Italian bread crumbs – optional, I highly recommend you don’t skip them. It elevates the taste.
- Parmesan cheese – I find grating cheese from a block makes a difference in the flavor and taste of the dish. Buy a parmesan cheese block and grate it fresh.
How to make garlic spaghetti
Bring a pot of water to boil. Generously salt boiling water.
Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until pasta is very al-dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooked water.
Don’t drain, add al-dente cooked pasta from to pot to the skillet directly.
While pasta cooks in boiling water, using another burner add EVOO to the skillet. Add sliced garlic and red chili flakes to the oil. Bring them to a gentle simmer, sautéing frequently. Continue to cook until extra virgin olive oil is infused with garlic and red chili flakes flavors, about 5-7 minutes. Do not burn garlic.
Add al-dente pasta directly from the pot to the pan along with ⅓ cup pasta cooked water.
Season the sauce and pasta with a generous pinch of salt and a dash of pepper.
Toss pasta in the sauce. If the sauce looks a bit too dry, add another ⅓ cup of pasta-cooked water.
Turn off the heat.
Grate lemon zest and squeeze in lemon juice. Sprinkle fresh parsley, Italian bread crumbs, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Toss well.
Serve it in a bowl immediately hot with more parsley, red chili flakes, Italian bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese.
Expert Tips
- Mise en place. Prep all ingredients and have them ready near the stove.
- Salt water well. Always cook pasta in salted water. Pasta will infuse the flavors will cooking, else pasta will taste under-seasoned.
- Cook pasta very al-dente. I always cook pasta 2-3 minutes before the time indicated on the package instructions so pasta is al-dente and cooked to perfection once sautéed in sauce, where pasta continues to cook.
- Don’t skimp on garlic. it’s a main ingredient. Garlic infuses rich, nutty flavor into the olive oil. If you love garlic flavor, add more garlic.
- Don’t skip on red chili flakes. It adds some heat to the pasta.
- Grate cheese from the block. Always buy a Parmesan cheese block and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese from the store usually has chemicals to keep it lumping together and it does melt well.
Possible variations
Garlic and olive oil pasta is very versatile you can easily tweak the ingredients you add to the dish.
- Use smashed garlic instead of thinly sliced garlic.
- If you have access to pepperoncini, use it instead of crushed red chili flakes.
- Add finely chopped anchovies for umami flavor.
- Add proteins and vegetables to make it wholesome. Shrimp works great. Cooked and diced chicken is an excellent choice.
- For vegetable options, use kale, broccoli, bell peppers, onion, or mushrooms.
Storage and reheating
Any leftover pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop. To reheat in the microwave transfer garlic spaghetti to a microwave-safe dish and heat for 30 seconds intervals until warm.
To reheat on the stove top, heat in a skillet by stirring occasionally. If the pasta is too dry, add a little water to the pasta.
Common questions
The Spaghetti Aglio E Olio recipe calls for spaghetti pasta, you can also use any long pasta like linguine, fettuccini, or tagliatelle pasta.
I always cook pasta 2-3 minutes before the time indicated on the package instructions so pasta is al-dente and it gets cooked to perfection when sautéed in the sauce.
Yes, you can. Shrimp works great. Cooked and diced chicken is an excellent choice.
For vegetable options, use kale, broccoli, bell peppers, onion, or mushrooms.
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📋Garlic Spaghetti (Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta)
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes reduce to ½ teaspoon if you prefer mild heat
- Generous pinch of salt I used about ¼ teaspoon
- Dash of pepper I used ½ teaspoon
- ½ lemon zest and juice
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Generously salt boiling water.
- Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until pasta is very al-dente.
- While pasta cooks in boiling water, using another burner add EVOO to the skillet. Add sliced garlic and red chili flakes to the oil. Bring them to a gentle simmer, sautéing frequently. Continue to cook until extra virgin olive oil is infused with garlic and red chili flakes flavors, about 5-7 minutes. Do not burn garlic.
- Add al-dente pasta directly from the pot to the pan along with ⅓ cup pasta cooked water.
- Season the sauce and pasta with a generous pinch of salt and a dash of pepper.
- Toss pasta in the sauce. If the sauce looks a bit too dry, add another ⅓ cup of pasta-cooked water.
- Turn off the heat.
- Grate lemon zest and squeeze in lemon juice. Sprinkle fresh parsley, Italian bread crumbs, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- Toss well.
- Serve it in a bowl immediately hot with more parsley, red chili flakes, Italian bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- Mise en place. Prep all ingredients and have them ready near the stove.
- Salt water well. Always cook pasta in salted water. Pasta will infuse the flavors will cooking, else pasta will taste under-seasoned.
- Cook pasta very al-dente. I always cook pasta 2-3 minutes before the time indicated on the package instructions so pasta is al-dente and cooked to perfection once sautéed in sauce, where pasta continues to cook.
- Don’t skimp on garlic. it’s a main ingredient. Garlic infuses rich, nutty flavor into the olive oil. If you love garlic flavor, add more garlic.
- Don’t skip on red chili flakes. It adds some heat to the pasta.
- Grate cheese from the block. Always buy a Parmesan cheese block and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese from the store usually has chemicals to keep it lumping together and it does melt well.
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
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I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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