Pasta with Oil and Garlic

nothing in the kitchen? make pasta with oil and garlic!

No food in the fridge, no energy, no time, and no ideas. Sound familiar? When I hit that dinnertime wall I reach for a tried and true desperation dinner recipe ~ and one of my favorites is pasta with oil and garlic.

Pasta with oil and garlic, or pasta aglio e olio as the Italians know it, is a last ditch pantry friendly meal. that ~ how crazy is this? ~ is also a restaurant classic! It’s all due to the incredible properties of its 3 main ingredients.

what you need for pasta with oil and garlic

Less is more with this traditional Neapolitan pasta!

• pasta – usually spaghetti or other strand pasta. I give my strong vote for regular (not thin, not thick) spaghetti for the perfect balance. I prefer Barilla brand.
• olive oil – go for the good, robust extra virgin stuff.
• garlic – make sure yours is fresh. If garlic is sprouted, shrunken or dry, replace it. Do not use pre-chopped or pre-processed garlic!
• red pepper flakes are part of the traditional recipe, but you can leave them out if you don’t have them or don’t like the heat.

optional extras

• parsley adds a fresh note
• Parmesan or other aged Italian cheese adds savoriness and heartiness
• lemon adds a bright pop that really makes the rest of the dish come alive

just four easy steps for pasta with oil and garlic

1. Boil your pasta in plenty of well salted water, just to al dente, reserve a cup of the starchy pasta cooking water.
2. Sauté fresh crushed garlic in plenty of extra virgin olive oil.
   • Cook it just until the garlic starts to turn light golden. Take it off the heat to stop the cooking.
3. Transfer the hot pasta to the oil and garlic pan.
4. Toss vigorously with a the reserved pasta water to help create a silky ‘sauce’.

mellow out this dish with roasted garlic

If garlic upsets your stomach or otherwise doesn’t agree with you (that’s me!) you can roast it first, which mellows it and brings out the sweetness. In this case you can use up to a whole head of garlic for this recipe! You’ll get tons of flavor, without the sharpness.

how to roast garlic

• 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.
• 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.

need more simple pasta dinners?

• Spaghetti with Kale and Pancetta
• Pasta Alla Checca
• Chicken Margherita Pasta
• Creamy Lemon Basil Pasta
• Spaghetti con Pignoli Arrosti (with Roasted Pine Nuts)

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Pasta with Oil and Garlic

3.35 from 49 votes

You can't get easier or more comforting than pasta with oil and garlic! This Italian classic dinner never lets you down.

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Prep Time:10 minutes minutes

Cook Time:10 minutes minutes

Total Time:20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

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Ingredients

 

• 1 lb spaghetti
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 10 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to your taste)
• fresh cracked black pepper

for serving, optional

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• lemon wedges

Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to package instructions until just al dente. Drain and reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water.
• Add the olive oil to a large saute pan and place over medium heat on the stovetop.
• Add the minced garlic and cook until the garlic is just starting to turn golden brown. Keep an eye on it and watch carefully, because garlic can burn quickly and turn bitter. This should take around 3-4 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
• Add the pasta and the reserved pasta water to the pan, and toss everything together vigorously to combine.
• Serve with parsley, parmesan cheese, and lemon wedges.

Notes

Store garlic in a cool dry place, the whole heads can last from 1-3 months if they are fresh to begin with. One you split open a head of garlic, use within 10 days. 

*This recipe was originally published in 2012, and was re-tested, updated, and rephotographed in 2024. 

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: dinner, garlic, Italian, pasta

Nutrition

Calories: 448 kcal · Carbohydrates: 58 g · Protein: 10 g · Fat: 19 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 13 g · Sodium: 11 mg · Potassium: 195 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 2 g · Vitamin A: 99 IU · Vitamin C: 2 mg · Calcium: 26 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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