How to Make Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

For a quick weeknight meal or a late-night snack, try some spaghetti aglio e olio, or spaghetti with garlic and olive oil. Commonly enjoyed in Italy, this simple pasta sauce is fragrant yet light, and easy to throw together as it calls for ingredients that you may already have in your pantry.

Things You'll Need

• 1 lb. dried imported Italian spaghetti
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 1/2 tsp. crushed dried hot pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 tbsp. salt

Instructions

1. Bring about 6 quarts of water in a large pot to a rapid boil on high heat. Once boiling, add the dried spaghetti and 1/2 tbsp. salt. Cook until the pasta is tender yet chewy, about 11 minutes.

2. Place the olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and 1 tbsp. of salt in a large unheated skillet before heating the skillet over medium heat. Cook until the garlic becomes tender and turns a pale golden color.

3. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet, coating the noodles with the sauce. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the freshest garlic possible for the optimum flavor.

• Degerm the garlic cloves if necessary as the germs can be hard to digest.

• When cooking the garlic, make sure it doesn't burn as burnt garlic tastes bitter.

• Whole wheat spaghetti can substitute for the regular spaghetti.

• Chopped fresh herbs such as basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme or sage can be used to replace the parsley.

• Use imported pasta from Italy if possible--it tends to have a better mouth feel than the domestically produced variety.

References

• Whole Foods Market: Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil

Resources

• BBC: Spaghetti Aglio e Olio