Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

I feel like I should put a disclaimer out: I am not Italian. How I wish that I were Italian. I love the Italian culture and I really love Italian food. And pasta. Oh how I love pasta. Now let’s talk about one particular pasta- this Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. I came across this pasta one day when I was looking for an easy lunch dish for my husband and I. I didn’t have much in the old pantry and neither of us wanted to go anywhere. This pasta looked simple and delicious… and, boy, did it deliver.

A Little Spaghetti Aglio e Olio History…

Aglio e Olio is a pasta dish that originated in Naples. It is made by sautéing garlic in olive oil with red pepper flakes. Sometimes it’s garnished with fresh parsely and pecorino or parmesan cheese. It’s translation is basically “garlic and oil”. Personally, the hardest thing about this pasta (considering I’m not Italian) was the pronunciation. Let me help you out: aglio = ahl-yo, olio = ohl-yo. The beauty of this dish is in its simplicity. It is also mighty tasty. Aglio e Olio is also a super quick dish. It can basically be cooked in the amount of time that it takes to boil spaghetti.

Let me show you how I made this Aglio e Olio 👇🏻

---

Start with the Topping-

First start by toasting your breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs are optional, but they’re easy to make and I really enjoyed the crunch. Add 1 tbsp of unsalted butter and 1/2 cup of plain panko breadcrumbs to a skillet over medium heat.

Stir constantly. You don’t want them to burn and they will toast quickly. They are done when they are golden. They’ll look like this…

Remove them to a bowl and set aside.

Now Cook Your Pasta-

Now start cooking your spaghetti. You could use another type of noodle, but spaghetti is my favorite. Sometimes I will substitute with fettuccine, but I don’t stray far from that.

When your spaghetti has about 5 minutes left to cook (you want to cook it al dente), start with the “sauce” portion.

And Finally, the “Sauce”-

Heat 2/3 cup of quality extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic slices, lemon zest and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic is toasted (do not burn or it will be bitter). Add salt and pepper and stir.

When the spaghetti is done cooking, use tongs and pull it from its water (shaking of excess water) and place it into the skillet with the oil. Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice (I used half of a lemon).

Turn off the heat. Now add the parmesan cheese and fresh parsely. Toss it really well to coat the pasta in all the goodness.

Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice if needed. If your pasta needs a little more liquid, add a ladle of the pasta water to skillet and toss (start with a little at a time if you do this).

To serve-

Divide the pasta among the bowls, make sure you don’t leave any of those garlic slices behind in the skillet. Top the pasta with some more freshly grated Parmesan, some chopped fresh parsely and a tablespoon or two of the toasted breadcrumbs.

Enjoy!

These are the recommended products that I used to make this delicious recipe! These are not only products that I use, but products that I love.

Have you tried this recipe? Thinking about it? I’d love to hear from you! Please leave me your thoughts below in the comment section.

Here are some other great pasta recipes that you should check out 👇🏻