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This humble and fragrant spaghetti with garlic and olive oil brings me back to my childhood. It’s a classic Italian pasta dish that requires a few cheap ingredients, little effort, and it’s ready in 10 minutes.
It’s a super quick spaghetti recipe, delicious and packed with flavor, which comes in handy any time. Absolutely perfect for sharing with friends or after a long day, when you decide pasta is for dinner tonight.
Spaghetti Aglio e olio (garlic and olive oil) is simple, cheap, good, satisfying, and fun.
I promise, the lovely smell of garlic and chili flakes, gently fried in olive oil, will cheer you up!
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WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS RECIPE:
- Regular or whole wheat spaghetti
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Fresh or dried chili flakes
- Salt
- Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Parsley (optional)
HOW TO MAKE PASTA WITH AGLIO E OLIO?
(Note: ingredient quantities and method are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)
- Cook your spaghetti until al dente
- Meantime, fry gently garlic and chili in olive oil
- Drain spaghetti, reserve 1/2 cup cooking water
- Add spaghetti and parley to the skillet
- Add as much cooking water as needed to make the pasta moist
- Stir well to coat
- If you don’t keep it vegan, serve with parmesan cheese
- Sprinkle extra chili flakes and parsley, if you like. Enjoy!
EASY, HEALTHY AND INEXPENSIVE!
First things first, a skillet of this fragrant and spicy spaghetti comes together in 10 MINUTES and costs less than 90 cents per serving!
Also, this simple homemade spaghetti dish is likely healthier than an expensive last-minute takeaway, and if you go for whole grain pasta you’ll get more natural fiber and micronutrients than white pasta. Plus, extra virgin olive oil features a long list of health benefits and coats your pasta beautifully.
This is simple, real, food.
MORE DELICIOUS PASTA RECIPES READY IN 10 MINUTES?
- 10-Minute lemon ricotta spaghetti
- Raw cherry tomato pasta
- 10-minute cream cheese pasta
- Sun dried tomato pesto pasta
Recipe updated: originally posted in November 2018, I’ve tweaked the post adding more notes and new pictures.
RECIPE NOTES & TIPS
Only a few basic ingredients, but their quality will make the difference! Pasta, garlic and olive oil are the key ingredients in this recipe.
PASTA
What’s better than spaghetti? Long pasta is simply perfect with garlic and olive oil, you will love wrapping spaghetti or linguine around your fork!
And when you chose pasta, have a proper look at the label and go for durum wheat semolina pasta. Pasta brand matters, and although premium quality pasta is a bit more expensive than basic pasta, it’s resilient, it has a more robust texture.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
Extra virgin olive oil is the flavor you want here.
A good extra virgin olive oil smells and tastes good, clean and fresh. The flavor can be fruity, floral, herbal or even subtle, but never overpowering in a way that indicates rancidity.
Tasteless olive oil or other regular vegetable oil won’t work.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD A TWIST?
To make it more special, for people who think this spaghetti with garlic and olive oil is too simple, add a further burst of flavor by including a couple of anchovy fillets and fry them along with the garlic and chili flakes.
Also, marinated artichokes, olives or sun-dried tomatoes will take this simple dish to the next level with a Mediterranean twist.
This is a tasty, inexpensive and one of the most crowd-friendly dishes for your last-minute parties, or just the thing when you get home late or don’t feel like cooking.
Simple food is the best.
And if you make this spaghetti with garlic and olive oil, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you!
SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 grams) spaghetti, or other long pasta
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 4-5 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 tsp dried chili flakes, or to taste (or 3 fresh chillies)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve (optional, if you don't keep it vegan)
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and add spaghetti. Cook until al dente: the spaghetti is soft but still has a little bite.
- While the spaghetti is cooking make the sauce: If you don't use dried chili flakes, remove the seeds from the chilies and finely chop. Peel and finely slice the garlic cloves.
- Heat the olive oil gently in a frying pan. Add the garlic and chili and cook gently for a few minutes, or until the garlic is pale gold, which will be enough time for the flavorings to infuse the oil (take care not to burn it!). Stir in chopped parsley.
- Drain the spaghetti still "al dente", reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.
- Add spaghetti to the frying pan, stir well to coat with the oil, add some starchy cooking water, as much as needed to ensure the pasta is moist and juicy*. Cook on medium heat for 30 seconds, stirring a couple of times.
- Sprinkle the spaghetti with extra chopped parsley, and grated parmesan cheese if you don't keep it vegan. Enjoy!
Janet
Simple and delicious! And healthy! I have made this several times since I found your recipe. May add anchovies next time. Thank you!
Katia
I’m so happy you loved it, and I think anchovies add big flavor, totally delicious.
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback, Janet! xx
Janice
Tried this tonight. I used olive oil, garlic, chilli flakes and roasted red peppers and did a combination to parmigiana and pecorino cheese and I used chopped arugula instead of parsley. Still pretty good. Thanks for the recipe.
Katia
Brilliant, I’m very happy it turned so good and thanks very much for sharing!
Cheers xx
Suzanne
Brings back memories of being a broke-but-happy 20-something! I will gladly still eat this meal any day!
Katia
I couldn’t agree more, Susan! : )
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback.
Cheers x
Lakshay Sen
This is a great recipe! I made it tonight and it was delicious. I used a little less garlic, but otherwise followed the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Katia
Brilliant, I’m so pleased to hear it turned out delicious! Thanks for your feedback. X
Aman Sharma
This is a great recipe! I made it tonight and it was delicious. I used a little less garlic, but otherwise followed the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Katia
That’s a lovely feedback, thanks so much Aman, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! : )
Barb S
This is my go to recipe! I add the zest and juice of half a lemon plus some sauteed prawns at the end, once the pasta is mixed in. Such a good base for so many variations!
Katia
I’m sure it turned out YUMMY! Thanks so much for sharing your fantastic feedback with us, Barb!
Have a lovely weekend! x
Dee
Hello i added sundried tomatoes, onion chopped fine & mushrooms to mine
Was just delicious with fresh parsley thank you 😊
Katia
I’m sure it was delicious!! : )
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, so glad you liked it. xx
Dan
Do you remove garlic if it is getting dark and then put spaghetti in?
Katia
Hi Dan, the garlic should be just gold and fragrant to lend that garlic flavor to the dish.
If it gets dark and bitter or if you remove it, the end result won’t be the same I’m afraid.
Hope this helps. x
Gary Davis
I lived in New Orleans for ten years. My Italian friend’s mother made oil and garlic spaghetti. Really good. Her recipe was same as yours. In Costa Rica I had a pizza that had sauce, capers and anchovies. Have you ever made pizza like that? They called the spaghetti dish lurgya lurgya. That is probably misspelled.
Katia
Thanks so much for your comment, Gary. I’ve never made pizza with garlic infused oil, anchovies and capers, but it sounds great! : )
Have a lovely weekend. x
Steve
Thanks for the recipe. I added basil instead of parsley as well as capers, fresh tomatoes and a sprinkle of truffle oil. My daughter and I loved it!
Katia
That sounds delicious, Steve! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I’m so pleased you guys loved it!
Have a great weekend. x
Edna Haygood
I added mushrooms and chopped spinach and it was delicious
Katia
Thanks for your feedback, Edna… I”m glad you liked it : )
Happy New Year! x
Tammy Lehman
I made this tonight. I added 2 Tbsp anchovy paste. Delicious recipe without any cream!
Katia
Fantastic! I’m so glad it turned out delicious, thanks for sharing your feedback, Tammy : )
Mike
Made last night with anchovies and capers outstanding
Katia
That sounds delicious and packed with flavor, I love that variations : )
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Mike!
Jeanette Lindquist
Can I use whole wheat spaghetti?
Katia
Absolutely! I often use whole wheat spaghetti with this recipe and I love it. : )
Carrie
This dish turned out perfect . We added a small amount of broccoli as pee my daughter and the dush is a new staple in our home. Thanks so much for the recipe. It is a must do!
Katia
I’m so glad! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Carrie.
Have a lovely week. x
Maria
The very best recipe ever. My family absolutely loves it with the added anchovies!!! Grazie!!!
Katia
I’m so happy, Maria! Thanks for sharing your lovely comment. : )
Ciao! x