Simple Aglio e Olio Pasta

Aglio e olio, or garlic and oil, pasta is a simple Italian dish that you can make at a moment's notice since you likely have all the ingredients you need already! This easy pasta dish is commonly made with spaghetti but you can experiment with any pasta shape you prefer. This dish comes together in no time and is an absolute crowd pleaser.

What is Aglio e Olio Pasta?

Aglio e olio pasta is an Italian dish featuring olive oil and lots of garlic. In Italian, Aglio means garlic and olio means oil. The original spaghetti aglio e olio recipe is believed to have originated in the Lazio region of Italy according to the Italian Academy of Cuisine.

Traditionally, spaghetti aglio e olio also includes peperoncini, or spicy chili peppers, but this recipe omits it for a dish that's not spicy. The final product is a pasta with a heavily infused garlic oil topped with crispy slices of garlic.

This pasta is great as a light, main dish or as a side dish for any meal. Its simple flavors are the perfect addition to any menu.

Why You'll Love This Pasta Dish

• It's so quick and easy to make! You likely already have the ingredients you need to make this and it also comes together so quickly. Perfect for those times you just don't know what to make.
• It's light. This pasta is not heavy so it's perfect to serve alongside your favorite protein or just have on its own when you don't want something heavy.
• It's packed with flavor. Fragrant garlic cooked in extra virgin olive oil is one of the quintessential scents of an Italian kitchen. Add pasta to the mix and you have a dish that's extra flavorful with just a few ingredients. As always, make sure your ingredients are as fresh as can be and the best quality you can find - this makes all the difference!

Ingredients You'll Need

• Garlic. You want a lot for this recipe!
• Extra virgin olive oil. This combined with the pasta water will act as your sauce - make sure you use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best taste.
• Pasta. Any pasta shape will work but long pasta is my favorite for this recipe.
• Pasta water. Make sure you save about one and a half cups of pasta water after your pasta is done cooking since you want all the starches from that water for a silky sauce at the end.
• Parmesan cheese and parsley (optional but highly recommended). This may not be 100% traditional but a dusting of freshly grated parmesan cheese is my favorite way to top this pasta. A little sprinkle of fresh parsley is another great finishing touch.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta and make sure it's al dente or a few minutes short of al dente since the pasta will continue cooking once it's combined with the oil. For long pasta, this should take about eight minutes. Set the pasta aside.
2. Shallow fry the garlic. Set a large pan over medium low heat and pour 5 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add in the thinly sliced garlic chips. Stir the garlic chips constantly to prevent them from burning. This should take about 10 minutes and the garlic should turn golden brown, not burnt. Remove the garlic chips from the oil and set aside.
3. Mix the pasta with the sauce. Toss the al dente pasta in the pan with olive oil over medium heat and add the starchy pasta water and salt. The goal is to emulsify the water into the olive oil to create a silky, creamy sauce so make sure you stir the pasta and water + olive oil mixture vigorously to emulsify.
4. Add in the reserved garlic chips and serve. Once the sauce is emulsified, add in half of the reserved garlic chips and serve. Top each portion with the remaining garlic chips. These garlic chip toppers make the dish extra special! Finally, top with fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese, if desired.

How to Store and Reheat Aglio e Olio Pasta

This pasta can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. However, the longer you keep it in the fridge the more the texture of the noodles will change so your pasta will be less and less al dente as time passes.

The best way to reheat this pasta is in a pan. Just pour some water and stir - this will help create some sauce since it may have dried up a bit.

You can also reheat this pasta in the microwave for a couple of minutes but the pan method is my preferred method since the sauce will have a better consistency.

Tips and Tricks

• Garlic galore! This recipe calls for 16 cloves but feel free to adjust the amount if you need to. As a self-proclaimed garlic girl, I like a lot of garlic in my pasta and this recipe shows it.
• The importance of al dente pasta. Make sure you stop cooking the pasta a few minutes before it's al dente as it will continue to cook when you stir it in with the olive oil and pasta water.
• Saucy and glossy. The more you stir the pasta together with the olive oil and pasta water, the better emulsified, or glossy, the sauce will be.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did you try out this recipe? I'd love to know how it went! Leave me a comment and rating below or tag me on Instagram at @AFabulousBite!