Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is one of the simplest and most flavorful Italian pastas—built from just a few pantry ingredients.
🍝 Ingredients
- 200 g spaghetti
- 4–6 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes 🌶️
- Salt (for pasta water)
- Fresh parsley (chopped)
- Parmesan (optional)
🔥 Instructions
1. Cook pasta
- Boil spaghetti in salted water until al dente.
- Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.
2. Garlic oil
- Heat olive oil in a pan on low heat.
- Add sliced garlic and cook until golden (not burnt).
3. Add heat
- Stir in chili flakes for a few seconds.
4. Combine
- Add drained spaghetti to the pan.
- Toss well, adding a splash of pasta water to emulsify the sauce.
5. Finish
- Add parsley and toss again.
- Optional: sprinkle parmesan.
🔥 Pro Tips
- Don’t burn the garlic—it turns bitter fast.
- Low heat = better flavor infusion.
- Pasta water is key for silky sauce.
If you want, I can upgrade this into a shrimp aglio e olio, creamy version, or spicy chicken garlic pasta 😄