Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Discover the story and secrets behind authentic spaghetti aglio e olio—probably Italy’s simplest garlic pasta.
Equipment
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
- Kitchen Tongs Recommended
Ingredients
- 8 Oz. Spaghetti
- 4-5 Cloves Garlic Sliced as Thin as Possible
- 1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2-3 Heavy Pinches Chopped Flatleaf Parsley (Optional)
- 1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes Plus More to Taste
- Salt For Pasta Water
- (Optional) Modern Additions
- 1/2 Lemon Zest and Juice
- 1-2 Anchovy Fillets
Instructions
- Boil water for the pasta. Since you will use the pasta water to help emulsify a sauce, you want a little less water than normal - to concentrate the starch. Use 8-10 C of water in a pot over high heat.
- While the water boils, heat the olive oil over low heat in a pan or pot large enough to toss the spaghetti in later. You will need room to jostle and stir the spaghetti to create the sauce at the end.1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- When the water is boiling, add 3-4 tsp of table salt (or 1-1.5 Tbsp of kosher salt), reduce the heat to medium, and add your spaghetti.Salt, 8 Oz. Spaghetti
- Cook the spaghetti to about a minute before al dente (roughly 1 minute before the earliest time range on the package, which is usually 8-9 minutes).
- While the spaghetti cooks, add the garlic and chili flakes, and (optional) anchovies, to the hot oil and cook over low heat. You want to heat the garlic to a light golden color, being careful not to burn it. There should be just the faintest bubble/sizzle in the garlic.4-5 Cloves Garlic, 1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes, 1-2 Anchovy Fillets
- Once the spaghetti is cooked, pick it straight out of the water (with kitchen tongs or a large fork) and add it to the hot oil and garlic.
- Add a splash of the pasta water (roughly 1/4 C) and stir the pasta pretty vigorously to help emulsify the pasta water and oil together.
- Continue stirring and flipping the pasta, mixing the pasta water and oil together, for 1-2 minutes until a sauce forms and thickens. If the pasta seems a little dry, add a few more tsp of pasta water as necessary and continue stirring for another minute.Note: this will be a very light sauce, and it will still generally be olive oil forward. Don't expect a perfect emulsification.
- Once the sauce is where you want it, cut the heat and mix in the parsley and (optional) lemon zest and juice to taste.2-3 Heavy Pinches Chopped Flatleaf Parsley, 1/2 Lemon Zest and Juice
- Taste for salt and red pepper and enjoy!