Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic and Oil is a classic Italian 30 minute meal that is healthy, full of flavor, and so satisfying. Roasting the garlic reduces its bite, so you can add as much as you like!
When my kids were little they would get hungry at the most inconvenient times, like when we hadn’t been to the grocery store in over a week and the most exciting thing in the fridge was a rejected Lunchable fished out of somebody’s backpack. My fallback plan in those days was pasta with butter. Second only to Saltines and peanut butter, that was the absolute scrape the bottom of the barrel meal. This is the grown up version. I’ve added some flourishes like pine nuts and parsley, but the garlic, oil and pasta will stand on its own.
Garlic is a wonderful flavor but I’m increasingly finding it overpowering. When it’s raw or undercooked it can upset some people’s stomach, and it always results in garlic breath. I hate garlic breath. So I’m going to roast the garlic for this dish, which mellows it and brings out the sweetness. You won’t get garlic breath, promise.
Peel the outer loose skin off of a whole bulb of garlic and slice off the bottom end, about 1/4 inch, to reveal the tops of the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
How to roast garlic ~
- Wrap the garlic loosely in foil or parchment paper
- roast in a 375 degree oven for about 30 to 40 minutes until the garlic is soft and light brown.
- Once it’s cooled a bit you can squeeze out the garlic from each clove. It will now be nutty brown and have a paste-like consistency.
The secret to this simple pasta, besides the roasted garlic, is the generous amount of parsley, which adds freshness, lots of pine nuts, which add substance and texture as well as taste, the splash of lemon which brightens it all up, and the Asiago which is tangy and not as sharp as Parmesan. It’s incredibly satisfying for such a simple meal.
While not traditional, I think the roasted pine nuts add just the right touch to this classic spaghetti with garlic and oil!
Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic and Oil
Ingredients
- 1 bulb of garlic, roasted
- 3/4 lb thin spaghetti, my favorite is Barilla Plus
- 1/3 cup good olive oil plus 2 Tbsp
- a pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- a heaping 1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely minced and measured after chopping
- salt and fresh cracked pepper
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- grated Asiago cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta until just al dente.
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a pan and toast the pine nuts until golden brown. Watch them carefully so they don't burn. Remove them and set aside.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic out of each clove, and roughly chop.
- Add 1/3 cup olive oil back in the same pan, along with the lemon juice, red pepper flakes and garlic. Heat the oil to a sizzle, mashing the garlic with the back of a wooden spoon. Heat for a minute or two, but don't get it so hot that the garlic starts to toast or burn.
- When the pasta is done, remove it with tongs directly into the hot oil and garlic. Toss well.
- Add in the parsley, salt, and pepper. Toss well again.
- Serve with a generous amount of Asiago.
Nutrition
Make this spaghetti with roasted garlic and oil your own ~
- Add some shrimp to this dish for an extra special meal.
Thanks for pinning this Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic and Oil!
What about using Basil instead of Parsley? Not a fan. This sounds wonderful otherwise.
Absolutely! I always add basil at the very end so it doesn’t loose that fresh flavor and color.
Can I add crumbled sausage
Oh gosh yes, yum!
Just made this and it was amazing! I used angel hair instead of spaghetti but I think the roasted garlic and the sautéed pinion (pine nuts) are the key. I will be making this quite a bit! It is so fresh and healthy! Thanks!
I’m so glad Andrea. I love it with angel hair, too, good choice. I appreciate that you took the time to come back and let me know <3
This recipe is fabulous…followed the recipe exactly and added sauteed eggplant and it was great…would like to add italian sausage next time. Thank you for the keeper!
You’re welcome! I am not a big raw garlic lover, in fact I avoid it like the plaque, so roasted garlic is a great discovery for me! Glad you had success with this, and thanks for commenting!
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This is my favorite pasta sauce ever. I crave oluve oil and roasted garlic. I went to an italian restaurant once that served the olive oil and roasted garlic as a dipping sauce for the crusty bread…I drank it. Literally. Thanks for postng the recipe. Now I can do this at home without the waiit staff looking at me crazy.
I just made this with sausage and I substituted unsalted sunflower seeds for the pine nuts because my husband doesn’t like them. Also used way more than a pinch of red pepper flakes… but that’s just a preference 🙂
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We have now made this twice and it will go on the frequent rotation list. Thanks! Delicious!!!