Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is a must to make on any day of the week! It takes less than twenty minutes to make and only requires a handful of ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry! This pasta dish is packed with flavor and has the perfect amount of spice. It’s the perfect dish!

You know how, once summer hits, all your favorite TV shows are on hiatus and you are scrolling Netflix desperately looking for something good to watch that you haven’t seen a thousand times before?

Well, us too! We were scrolling through shows and came across The Chef Show with Jon Favreau and Roy Choi. (It’s an absolutely amazing show!)

I’m telling you, we binged this show. It took us two days but really, we would’ve been done with it if I hadn’t gotten sleepy!

But in one of the episodes, they were making Scarlett’s pasta from the movie Chef. Honestly, it looked so good!

If you like this recipe, you may also like BBQ Chicken Pizza with Sourdough Crust, Spaghetti and Meatballs, or Mushroom Risotto.

Then a couple of nights later, we were wondering what to cook for dinner.

Aha!

Why don’t we make our own version of spaghetti aglio e olio? A few ingredients, minimal prep, an extremely short cooking time, and we had an amazing pasta dish!

Of course, it takes a bit longer for us to get everything to the table because everything has to be photographed. But, there’s always plenty of sampling along the way!

This pasta dish is definitely best served as soon as it’s cooked. I would not recommend reheating it in the microwave. Obviously, we did reheat, but we used a steam oven which kept it from drying out.

How to make spaghetti aglio e olio

Put the pasta water on to boil. Don’t forget the salt! Gather your ingredients together and get them measured out. Once you start cooking, this dish goes quickly. You won’t have time to pull it together as you go.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain. Set aside. Don’t forget to save some of the pasta water!

Heat the olive oil over medium heat until it just starts to shimmer. (We used a 12-inch skillet for this dish.)

Add the garlic and stir continuously for about 30 seconds. (We used minced garlic. If you use sliced, you can cook it for a few seconds more.) Stir in crushed red pepper, followed by the parsley.

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Add the spaghetti, stirring to coat. Reduce heat to low. The butter is next. Stir it in with pasta mixture until it melts.

Then, remove from heat! Stir in reserved pasta water and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Done! The whole thing, including cooking the pasta, takes 10-12 minutes!

Expert tips

• Like most pasta dishes, seasoning is the key. Don’t be afraid to salt your pasta water and to add extra salt to the finished dish.
• Tongs make it easy to move this dish around in the pan.
• Adding a little of the pasta water to the final product makes the sauce adhere better.
• Don’t be tempted to skip the lemon. Its acidity cuts through the olive oil and brightens the taste of the dish.
• Twirling the pasta around a carving fork makes for a classic presentation.
• Use an aged parmesan for the topping. The flavor it adds is well worth the splurge!

When you make this Spaghetti Aglio e Olio recipe, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #MSDHospitality.