Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Garlic Spaghetti)

spaghetti aglio e olio

The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney 

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Spaghetti aglio e olio simply means spaghetti with garlic and oil in Italian. Originally from Naples, it’s the easiest, most flavorful pasta you can make in under 15 minutes. This pasta is traditionally a late night food due to its ease and accessibility of ingredients. Most people have some kind of dried pasta, olive oil, and garlic in their home, so it can be made any time of the day or night without a trip to the grocery store. Although it simply means olive oil and garlic, there’s lots of other additions that can make this dish extra delicious. Try adding in fish, meat, poultry, or tofu and serving alongside a salad for a complete meal.

You can also easily make this pasta vegan by omitting the parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound spaghetti

  • 8 to 10 cloves garlic

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    spaghetti aglio e olio ingredients
  2. Boil a large pot of water. Add salt when it has boiled and add the pasta.
    Once the pasta has cooked to al dente (look at the package instructions), reserve a cup of the pasta water for the sauce and drain.

    spaghetti boiled and pasta water reserved
  3. Slice the garlic into thin slivers (as thin as you can).

    thinly sliced garlic
  4. Mince the parsley.

    minced parsley
  5. Add the olive oil to a large pot (the same one you cooked the pasta in, if you wish) and cook on medium heat. Add half of the garlic and saute until just fragrant. Then add in the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and chopped parsley. Cook for another minute. Just be careful not to overcook or over toast the garlic. This can lessen the garlic flavor and can make the garlic taste bitter.

    sautéed garlic and parsley in oil
  6. Add half a cup of the reserved pasta water, the pasta and the remaining garlic. Toss and cook for another 2 minutes or until it is all heated through. Add in more pasta water if needed.

    pasta tossed with garlic and oil
  7. Add the parmesan cheese and more salt to taste. Serve immediately.

    spaghetti aglio e olio
    The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney 

Recipe Variations

This pasta dish is perfect on its own, but try some of these additions when you’re looking for a little something more. 

  • grilled chicken
  • grilled shrimp
  • chickpeas 
  • Freshly chopped basil
  • minced anchovy
  • buttered breadcrumbs
  • extra crushed red pepper flakes
  • roasted garlic
  • grated pecorino cheese

You can substitute different pasta types as well. Long pastas work best. The garlic twirls up the garlic slivers nicely. Linguine, fettuccine, and bucatini are all great options.

Recipe Tips

Undercooking the garlic makes for a nice robust garlic flavor. If you like a milder garlic flavor then cook all of the garlic for longer. 

You can add more or less garlic depending on the size of the cloves and your taste.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
448 Calories
26g Fat
41g Carbs
14g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 448
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 33%
Saturated Fat 6g 32%
Cholesterol 22mg 7%
Sodium 777mg 34%
Total Carbohydrate 41g 15%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 12mg 62%
Calcium 250mg 19%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 225mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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