Aglio Olio is spaghetti tossed in olive oil, garlic and chilli flakes. Aglio Olio is a popular Italian meal so flavourful & aromatic and a treat for all spaghetti & garlic lovers. It is a popular Neapolitan cuisine. How to cook Aglio Olio at home is explained in this recipe with step by step pictures and video.
About Aglio Olio
Aglio olio is a traditional Italian pasta dish made with just 5 main ingredients – spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, chilli flakes and parsley. Aglio e Olio the name sounds a bit alien but it is nothing but just spaghetti tossed in garlicky olive oil.
Few years before the first few times I tried Aglio Olio the taste and flavour was good but still I felt it was a bit dry. Later after watching a TV show found that the key to a glossy aglio olio is to create an emulsion with garlic oil and to use pasta / spaghetti cooked starch water in the prepared sauce. These two steps make a huge difference so don’t skip it. So after heating olive oil, add garlic sauté until golden then add chilli flakes give a quick mix and add reserved pasta cooked water which emulsifies the garlicky olive oil and creates a gorgeous glossy sauce. After I learnt this simple tip there is no look back at all, I get tasty perfect aglio olio everytime!
Aglio Olio Ingredients
- Spaghetti : You can use any variety of noodle pasta or spaghetti. You can choose from linguine, fettuccine, or any other shape of pasta noodle. You can also use whole wheat spaghetti or regular spaghetti as I have used here. But if you are trying aglio olio for the first time I would recommend using regular spaghetti then after you get the hang of cooking and tasting spaghetti you can try whole wheat variety.
- Olive oil : Olive is the of the main ingredient that gives flavour to this dish so use good quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic : I love garlic flavour so much so add more. A lot of garlic can never go wrong in my opinion. But it is purely your preference, if you like add more else add only the mentioned amount.
- Chilli flakes : I used homemade chilli flakes. Traditional aglio olio is made with fresh peperoncini (red hot chile peppers) which is widely available throughout Italy. But here and in other countries we don’t get it so the easy replacement for it is chilli flakes.
- Parsley : I have used fresh parsley but you can use dried parsley available easily in supermarkets if you can’t source fresh parsley. I used freshly crushed black pepper for garnish too. You can use parmesan cheese for garnish if you prefer.
Classic Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Classic Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is made using just spaghetti, olive oil and garlic. Later the recipe was modified and chilli flakes is added for heat and parsley, cracked black pepper for garnish. You can even add parmesan cheese for garnish.
To make classic spaghetti aglio e olio just follow these easy steps
- Cook spaghetti : Cooking spaghetti is the first main step in perfecting aglio olio. Always cook spaghetti in a large pot of generously salty boiling water. You can cook spaghetti a minute more than aldente but I prefer to cook until done(fork tender). Reserve ½ cup of cooked pasta water.
- Saute garlic : Heat olive oil add chopped garlic and sauté until only till golden. Do not brown more as it changes the taste and flavour.
- Prepare sauce : Once garlic is golden add chilli flakes give a quick mix then immediately add reserved hot starchy cooked pasta water along with required salt.
- Toss spaghetti : Add cooked spaghetti and toss well until the sauce is well coated with spaghetti
- Serve : Serve with a garnish of parsley and cracked black pepper. You can also add parmesan cheese.
Variations
- You can add mushroom, chicken or any other vegetable of your choice. Saute mushroom ir cok chicken first set aside. Finally while tossing spaghetti you can add and mix well.
- If you don’t have fresh parsley then add dried parsley. You can also add coriander leaves if you dont get dried or fresh parsley.
- If you like it spicy add more red chilli flakes.
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Aglio Olio
Ingredients
- 200 gms spaghetti
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic chopped finely
- 1 heaped tsp red chillies
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
- salt to taste
- water as needed around 4 cups
Instructions
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Boil a large pot with water along with salt.
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Let it cook. You can follow pack instructions or cook until fork tender.
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Once it is almost done reserve around 1/2 cup of spaghetti cooked water.
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Cook until it is fork tender.
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Drain water and set aside. Reserve the water incase if the spaghetti is dry you can add more while preparing the sauce.
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Add olive oil heat it up then add garlic.
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Saute till just golden.
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Then add chilli flakes.Add reserved cooked spaghetti water.
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Add required salt.
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Cook for 2-3 mins until saucy.
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The starch in the cooked pasta water makes the sauce slightly thick.
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Add drained spaghetti.
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Mix well.Use a tong for easy mixing.
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Add chopped fresh parsley and freshly cracked pepper.
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Toss well until mixed evenly.
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Season with pepper if you like and serve hot!
Video
Notes
- Always cook spaghetti in a large pot of salty water. Cook until aldente or a bit tender as per your preference. But make sure its nonsticky after cooking.
- While cooking spaghetti add little more salt than usual an dont overcook the spaghetti.
- Take care not to burn garlic it should be fried only till golden.
- Adding otehr herbs may alter the taste so stick with basics & classics.
- Always add more salt while cooking spaghetti. Adjust salt accordingly while preparing the sauce.
How to cook Aglio Olio
Cook spaghetti
- Boil a large pot with water along with salt.
2.Add 200 gms spaghetti.
3.Let it cook. You can follow pack instructions or cook until fork tender.
4.Once it is almost done reserve around 1/2 cup of spaghetti cooked water.
5.Cook until it is fork tender.
6.Drain water and set aside. Reserve the water incase if the spaghetti is dry you can add more while preparing the sauce.
Saute garlic
7.Add olive oil heat it up then add garlic.
8.Saute till just golden.
9.Then add chilli flakes.
Prepare the sauce
10.Add reserved cooked spaghetti water.
11.Add required salt.
12.Cook for 2-3 mins until saucy.The starch in the cooked pasta water makes the sauce slightly thick.
Toss spaghetti
13.Add drained spaghetti.
14.Mix well.Use a tong for easy mixing.
Garnish
15.Add chopped fresh parsley and freshly cracked pepper.
16.Toss well until mixed evenly.
Season with pepper if you like and serve hot!
Expert Tips
- Always cook spaghetti in a large pot of salty water. Cook until aldente or a bit tender as per your preference. But make sure its nonsticky after cooking.
- While cooking spaghetti add little more salt than usual an dont overcook the spaghetti.
- Take care not to burn garlic it should be fried only till golden.
- Adding otehr herbs may alter the taste so stick with basics & classics.
- Always add more salt while cooking spaghetti. Adjust salt accordingly while preparing the sauce.
FAQs
1.What is Aglio Olio?
Aglio olio is a traditional Italian pasta dish made with spaghetti, olive oil and garlic. Additionally chilli flakes is added to make the dish hot and parsley is added for garnish. You can even add parmessan cheese for garnish if you prefer. It is very popular because it is inexpensive and can be made with easily available ingredients in your kitchen.
2.What does aglio olio mean? Why it is called so?
Aglio olio means garlic and olive in Italian. This dish is made by tossing cooked spaghetti in garlicy chilli olive oil
3.I don’t have olive oil. Can I make Aglio Olio?
Olive oil is the main ingredient that flavours aglio olio so I would recommend to use it,. But still if you prefer to make aglio without it then use regular cooking itself though the flavour and taste might widely differ.
4.I do not have chilli flakes. What is the alternate?
It takes just few minutes to make chilli flakes at home. You can just dry roast few red chillies for few seconds until crisp. Cool down then pulse it in a dry mixer jar and tada your chilli flakes is ready. Detailed video and recipe here.
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