DinnerItalian15-minute

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Name: Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: salt; 8 oz dried spaghetti, 225 grams; or any pasta you have around; 4 tbsp olive oil, 60 ml; plus more to finish; 4 cloves garlic, minced; or whatever amount feels right; 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes; black pepper, many grinds, freshly ground; and/or with the red pepper flakes; parsley, a big handful, chopped flat-leaf

A pasta dish from Naples, Italy, made with just spaghetti, garlicky olive oil, red pepper flakes and parsley. It uses a short list of pantry ingredients and delivers a lot of flavor.

Total: 20 min
Serves: 4

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

4 servings

salt
8 oz dried spaghetti, 225 grams; or any pasta you have around
4 tbsp olive oil, 60 ml; plus more to finish
4 cloves garlic, minced; or whatever amount feels right
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
black pepper, many grinds, freshly ground; and/or with the red pepper flakes
parsley, a big handful, chopped flat-leaf

Steps

Bring a big pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook your spaghetti until it's about 1 to 2 minutes shy of done. Before you drain it, scoop out and set aside 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the rest.
Pop your empty pan back on the stove and add the olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Then turn the heat to medium. [Starting everything cold helps keep the garlic from cooking too quickly.]
Cook, stirring as you go, until the garlic just starts to turn golden.
Add the drained pasta and half of the reserved cooking water. Stir vigorously over the heat until the pasta water and garlic oil come together into a glossy coating on the spaghetti. If it seems a little tight, splash in more of the reserved water to loosen it up. I almost always end up using the second half-cup.
Toss in the parsley and any extra seasoning you think it needs, then serve right away with one more drizzle of olive oil on top. Parmesan isn't traditional here, but it's your house and your rules, so go for it!

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.