Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

This is one of the first dishes my Italian MIL taught me to make! She told me this was an important dish to know as it is tasty, very economical and you can clean out the fridge using up leftovers. Boy was she right! It is GREATt just as is.. all on its own. During the summer, when our garden is overflowing, I sometimes add some grape tomatoes, eggplant or some zucchini and my favorite - fresh basil! I have made this using leftover chicken cutlets I diced up and made my food budget stretch a little farther. Be sure to watch the garlic cooking time and be aware that there is some cooking water from the pasta that is to be added to the garlic when it is finished browning. It is mentioned in the video and my MIL made SURE I knew to do that as it adds necessary moisture to the sauce. I use at least a full ladle as I like it a bit more moist. NOTE: add the water slowly to avoid splattering! I made this last night and I added a cup of diced grape tomatoes and some crumbled bacon and topped with shredded fresh spinach. Perfect summer meal. My favorite is using sun dried tomatoes, spinach and fresh mozzarella. Can't go wrong with this recipe!

This is so good and so easy! If you watch the video he has you add a half ladle of pasta water to the OO-garlic saute pan. This is important and is missing from the recipe. This stops the garlic from over cooking and getting bitter and it also adds that extra moisture to the sauce. I usually reserve some pasta water 'just in case'. This recipe says it serves 4 but as a side dish ( which I did) it would easily serve 8 or even more. I served this with sauteed green beans with prosciutto and Barber Chicken, Parmesan. (I know, cheating but it was really good!) Enjoy!

I love this preparation for spaghetti. I used to the recipe from The Mediterranean Diet, and made it for years. I have adapted this recipe with elements of that one. For example, I add the parsley and chili flakes to the oil after the garlic has browned, and then also add a ladle of spaghetti water as it's cooking. I usually forgo the cheese, simply because it's expensive back home in Canada and not readily available here in Tanzania. In place of it, I fancy it up with vegetables, either a handful of long green beans or asparagus. Both add a wonderful oomph to the dish. I add the veg once the garlic has browned, but before the pasta water.

This was excellent! I have made it a few times, and I cook it a little differently each time. I like to add shrimp, use extra garlic, add about 1-2 tablespoons of butter, and sprinkle about 1/3 cup of bread crumbs. It is pretty much shrimp scampi on pasta when I get done. (add the zest & juice of one lemon). Also, I use less pasta/noodles to compensate for the thicker sauce, the addition of shrimp, and because I just love the sauce!

I made this after seeing it cooked on an Italian cooking show the other day. I have to be honest, this is way too oily for me. I think the servings on this recipe are incorrect also. As a lb of pasta is going to feed a minimum of 6 people. Even the bag said serves 8. At least I stretched groceries until the end of the week. Think, I will just stick to pasta with a little butter, similar to what I had growing up. It's basically the same concept. ty

1-5-2014: This was perfect Chef John! I loved the flavors of the garlic with the Italian parsley and cheese, with just a hint of the red pepper flakes. Who would have thought something so simple could make pasta this good. I tossed in some fresh steamed broccoli, which I found went good with this pasta. 8-17-2018: Still a very tasty recipe, but have found we prefer it with less oil. I reduce the amount of oil by half of what's called for. If you add in broccoli, I find a saute with fresh or roasted fresh broccoli brings out more flavor.

This was a staple in our family growing up, and it still is today! This is such a simple, yet delicious pasta that can be served as a main or side dish. This is also a super economical meal. We usually eat this as a main dish w/ a nice salad and crusty bread, but it's also nice along side chicken parmesan~YUM! :)

As my dad hailed from Italy, I grew up eating this dish at least once a week. Now, w/my own family, I serve this as a side dish w/ pork chops, substituting the spaghetti w/ extra thin egg noodles. Hubby who is a pasta critic loves it.

Finished the whole thing!!! So good! Doubled the red pepper. Forgot the parsley, but it was still great. Too much olive oil, will cut in half next time.

may i know what is Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Is that sold in Malaysia?

An outstanding side dish for shrimp or pork. I always use pasta that is imported from Italy because the bronze equipment that is used in Italy produces a rough texture to the pasta and that makes any sauce cling better to the pasta.

One of my favorite foods from childhood... We had an Italian neighbor who taught us this dish. I didn't know to add the water to the sauce, this recipe is an improvement over mine.

Just love this simple recipe. It is on our regular rotation.

This is a pasta staple in our house. My husband doesn't do so well with tomato sauces, so this is an fantastic alternative. My suggestion? Don't go easy on the garlic.

A nice, easy side dish.

Great recipe and a wonderful flavor. Once the oil and garlic are added to the pasta, it's easy to add any other cooked meat or vegetable to make the dish even more savory. as one commenter noted, it's a great way to use up left overs. Yummmmm.

Perfect!

This recipe is really quick and easy and great for a weekday meal. I only had shell pasta on hand, but I otherwise made as directed.

Chef John has posted many very good recipes and this in another tasty one but....it is not traditional. I was raised in a Italian family and watched everyone from relatives and friends to some great chefs make aglio e olio and this is the difference in their method and his....the timing of the sauce is very important. Yes ,you do brown the garlic in good olive oil and yes, it must not be overcooked as it will get bitter but native Italians add 1/2 C of pasta water no more than 2 minutes after the pasta was added (this assures just the right amount of starch) to the garlic and oil. The timing is important so add the pasta to boiling water, then begin sauteing the garlic and two minutes in...add the pasta water to create a garlic broth that is then simmered on low heat until the pasta is ready. Try it! (It is also considered authentic to add a sprinkling of red pepper flakes to the garlic and oil before the water is added it spiciness is desired.)

needed something quick, and this did the trick. It was very delicious. I used Angel Hair Pasta. I had it with some frozen mussels I prepared it separately. So good, and had it with some Reisling. OMG! I loved it. Can't wait to start adding it with veggies.

Super easy and delicious! I love it!

Too much oil. I followed recipe exactly. Next time I will cut the oil with some water or white wine.

I just made this to revive some leftover spaghetti and it was fabulous. I usually try to follow the exact steps that a recipe calls for, but this time I couldn't bring myself to pour the entire 1/2 cup of olive oil into the spaghetti, so I fished all the garlic out of the skillet and poured in half the prescribed amount of oil. It tasted delicious but still a little too oily for my taste. However, I do think it's necessary to toast the garlic in a lot of oil to ensure it does not burn, so the method in this recipe is key to perfecting this dish. As for the quantities, they can be adjusted to individual taste. 4.5/5

It is soooooo good! I'm eating some right now, except I didn't have fresh parsley. I just sprinkled a little italian seasoning in when it was still cooking. I also didn't have red pepper flakes, but that would have been really good in it. I also added one egg, and it made it really creamy, but I also tasted it before the egg, still just as good, I was just in the mood to make carbonara, but my bacon was bad :[. Super good, everyone should have this in their repertoire, because you can do so many things with it. And it's cheap and easy and quick to make.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio was my favorite pasta dish while I was stationed in Germany. This recipe is as close to authentic as it gets. It’s so simple yet so delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

Being married to an Italian, this recipe is on regular rotation in our home. It's what we eat when we come home from vacation, and there is no food in the house from being away. It's what we eat when we are tired from a long day of work and haven't thought about dinner until it's about time to eat it! The only thing we do slightly different is add the peperoncini to the garlic and olive oil mixture and let it cook a bit, and then add the pasta directly into the aglio/olio/peperoncino sauce and mix it in the pan before serving. It's quick, easy and delicious!

Divine! I just made this for the first time. I used angel hair pasta (and adjsted the cooking time to what was recommended on the box so the pasta was not overooked) and served it with shrimp. Easy and so delicious. I did add the butter to the pasta that is mentioned in the cook's note at the end. Thanks to all the other reviewers for other ways to use this great dish. And a huge thanks to Chef John for sharing this recipe.

So simple and absolutely delicious! I used penne pasta since that's all I had and it picked up the flavour of the sautéed garlic wonderfully. I used slightly less oil than the recipe recommended.

Great dish. Simple, tasty and quick to make. One of my family's favorites.

Once I got the hang of it, this became my favourite quick pasta recipe. For a light lunch for one, I follow the serving size of the pasta bag (80-100g) and reduce the oil from 60 mL to 45, keeping the three-garlics-for-one-serving rule. If you are like me and don't have access to a good block of Parmigiano-Reggiano anywhere near your area, store-bought shaved or grated parm would do as long as they are relatively fresh. The dish can be thrown together in 10-15 minutes effortlessly, yet tastes wonderful and rustic. Thank you for the recipe!!

Loved this recipe. The smell of the garlic roasting in the kitchen was heavenly. Used an entire bulb of garlic, we are garlic fans - this made a big garlic flavour! Followed the advice from other reviews, and added sun dried tomatoes once the garlic was done for an extra kick. As mentioned in the video, use some of the pasta water in the sauce before serving - this takes away from an oily texture. This is a new favourite recipe.

Really good BUT need to double the garlic, double the olive oil for that much pasta and cheese! BUT GOOD!

So easy and delicious! Made it tonight for company as an attempt to duplicate a favorite from a local restaurant, with asparagus added in. It was perfect!

Awesome!

This is my number one comfort food and I make it often. I usually add some fresh grated nutmeg and on occasion toss in some capers.

I substituted minced garlic for fresh garlic gloves and dried parsley for the Italian parsley, since I didn't have those ingredients. Although I'm not a big garlic fan, this was delicious and easy to make!

We inhale this whenever one of us makes Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. We seem to like this recipe the best. My thirteen yr old asked me to show her how to make it so she could whip it up on her own. It's classic and will me a delicious fallback recipe for, well, ever.

My family loved it! Thanks Chef John! So easy and you can modify it in many ways without hassle. I added Peameal Bacon to the mix!

My hubby and I really enjoyed this recipe. We only had dried parsley so that's what we used. Still delicious.

I made it with angel hair as it's what I had on hand. Even more delicious I think. Such a great easy recipe and the video was helpful

We make this a full meal with the addition of a couple of over easy eggs and a big salad. One of my favorite emergency 15 minutes dinners!

Overall was good, but could have used some more flavor. I'd add more garlic and maybe some fresh lemon juice next time. Also, I only had dried parsley on hand, so maybe fresh would have made a difference.

Made this twice, once exactly as written and once according to the video. I will not add the spoonful of water again as instructed in the video. The first time was a perfect blend of oil to garlic to pasta. The second, too watery and bland. And if you make it as written, it's amazing and worthy of five stars.

Delicious, simple and versatile. My first attempt included buttered & steamed Brussels Sprouts. Success! Look forward to messing around with different ingredients.

I would say it was pretty good, but not worth all the attention you have to give to the garlic. I used a whole bulb of garlic, which is more than suggested, and it still didn’t really taste all that garlicky. It was a little better leftover, but I wouldn’t say it was amazing.

As a full-blooded Italian I grew up on this stuff, I still eat it all the time! This recipe is spot on except as some reviewers pointed out you have to add a bit of pasta water to pan.

I made this! And i made some kimd of a twist of my owm version with some other herbs plus I stir fried small cut boneless chicken in the oil and add some butter, it taste too good to be true

Just like my moms, but this time I added shrimp to it. WONDERFUL and YUMMY

It tasted good, but I agree with some other reviewers that it is very oily. That may be alright for some, but I didn't like how it left my mouth area feeling coated in oil. I would also add some more cheese or something to make it more creamy, but that is just personal preference.

It was delicious ! Very economical !

I just made this tonight, and it was absolutely delicious! This is definitely for more than 2 people though. I'd say you could serve up to 5. Next time, I will add the oil and garlic mixture to the pasta immediately after I drain the pasta, because the pasta got a little starchy while it sat. Otherwise, delicious!

Yea! One of my favorite Italian restaurants makes a dish they call Pollo Pepperone. It's basically this, with chicken and peppers. I was so happy to find this recipe and be able to recreate my favorite restaurant meal at home. My only change was that I sauteed some Italian roaster peppers with the garlic (and added the pasta water, as indicated in the video). Big fan! So happy!

After trying this dish while on vacation, I promised to attempt it when I got home. What I like about it is in its simplicity and ingredient minimalism.

Love, LoVe, LOVE this recipe. Just don't forget to save the pasta water!!! Hint: don't use brine garlic - no flavor whatsoever!

Loved the recipe! So easy to make. I added basil and fresh tomatoes on mine just to put more freshness in it. Thanks Chef John!

Oh my gosh, this was wonderful. I cut the portions back to 1 but still used 5 large cloves of garlic. I had some cooked, frozen clam and mussel meat that I wanted to use up so I added those at the end, just long enough to warm them. I also had shrimp to use so I cut those into thirds, the were very large, and sauted them just before adding the pasta. The pasta was cooked for 8 minutes before draining, I retained a 1/2 cup of the cooking water that I added to the skillet after adding the pasta. This will be a repeat at our house!

Really great and easy. Only changes were I added scallions instead of parsley at end, I added a bit of pasta water to the sauce, and I cut down on the hot pepper flakes just a bit.

This was outstanding!! My husband is Italian and he said it tasted just like his Mothers'.

Needs something meat-ish

The only change I made was not having parsley so I made it without. It was amazing! A word of warning, if it is getting late, and you think, this will be quick and easy. Well that is true, but you will find yourself doing what I did, I ate it ALL! I'm stuffed! Okay, I did make a half recipe... but still. I will definitely be making this again. :-) ** Note Made this again, and I would give it 6 stars if it were possible. This is one of my favorite quick and fabulous meals.

The parsley was a bit heavy so next time I will use less

Super easy to make. Fantastic with grilled salmon.

Easy, quick, tastes very good. Remake.

I liked this. My husband, as well. Makes a nice side dish!

Made this. Very good! Easy an economical. I used it as a side dish to sautéed peppers and mushrooms and mild Italian sausage. Very very good.

EASY GOOD Compliments any meal. Love leftover for lunches

I made this exactly as the recipe (and video) directed. I was so excited because I've been noticing a big fuss about Aglio e Olio lately and I'd never had it. I absolutely love garlic, so I thought it would be amazing. To be honest, it was just okay. It wasn't bad at all, but it was just kind of boring and I didn't get a huge garlic flavor with each bite. It was more like a garlic after taste. This recipe would probably appeal to people who like simple comfort dishes like buttered noodles or something. I like big and bold flavors and I thought this fell short.

Love, LoVe, LOVE this recipe. Just don't forget to save the pasta water!!! Hint: don't use brine garlic - no flavor whatsoever!

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is one of the most classic Roman side dishes and at one time considered a "peasant's or poor man's" dish. This recipe brings so many wonderful & vivid memories with my Italian family - after dancing, visiting with friends, watching/playing soccer, or after a movie, it was our favorite late night snack. It is especially wonderful & delicious served over homemade pasta.

Outstanding dish chef John. My wife and I loved not only the taste but the simplicity of it.

Added more cheese and some lemon.

It is far too oily. Would recommend to use a quarter cup of olive oil at most. Nothing special about this dish.

Added

Loved it. Will definitely make it again.

Fantastic! Better than my grandmother used to make (sorry, Nana, may you RIP). I used the proportions of the sauce/toppings, including the butter, on 1 and 1/2 lbs of pasta, so that there would be leftovers for the kids' lunches, and it was perfection. I think we used more than 1 cup of cheese, though. I also used the pasta water that someone said Chef John recommended in the video version of the recipe. Truly delicious, simple, inexpensive, and pleased the whole family. Thanks, Chef John!

I found the video to be very helpful for this recipe. It's very simple to make and if you follow the instructions it will turn out perfect every time. This is definitely a go-to pasta dish for our family.

My family loved this! Other than substituting thin spaghetti for spaghetti, I made it with no alterations to the recipe and it was absolutely delicious. My favorite way to eat pasta.

This is very good, although it is a rather bland recipe I would suggest a generous drizzle of good olive oil before serving and plenty of fresh ground pepper....delicious !

Easy and simple recipe spaghetti choice of ingredients are balanced and the recipe is healthy as how it is presented.

Excellent recipe. The "cold skillet for the garlic" is key.

Will definitely make again, as this got high ratings from the family. We buy peeled garlic cloves from our local Asian supermarket, and I had a lot on hand, so I used way more than this called for. It was great.

I used pasta I had on hand & it was the most simplest yet the most delicious recipe I ever made w/garlic, loved it!!! I’m also partial to garlic, I love anything that has garlic in it.

instead of parsley i used oregano and added a little lime juice for some needed acid in my open used as a side dish and i put sauteed shrimp in it to make it a main dish family loved it i have picky eaters

Delicious and east! I added a half ladle of pasta water and half stick butter. Will make again!

I added a little extra cheese and a tablespoon of butter when tossing, also added some of the noodle water to the oil when it was done. 4 hungry people were disappointed that there was none left over! We will definitely be having this again.

Ended up using a fresh pasta recipe along with this. Family loved it. Will make again soon.

This dish has become a family staple! The recipe is great, just remember to add the pasta water mentioned in the video. For a personal preference, I add shredded spinach to the oil and garlic, before the pasta water. I also toss sauteed shrimp in when combining the sauce and pasta. The whole family loves it, even my very picky 7 year old!

i use a little bit less oil. It was so good. Thanks

Great

Excellent!

Very good

This was waaayyy to oily. To the point I wanted to use paper towel to get out some of the oil from bottom of the dish. The family asked me not to make it again.

Simple and Delicious! I made a single serving, added spinach and roma tomato to it, mmmmmm. Definitely will make this my go to when I want something quick, simple and delicious.

Perfect side dish - a huge hit with the entire family

love it

This is delicious. The toasted garlic is terrific. An easy dish to make!

This has become our go-to pasta dish. Prepared as written it’s delicious. As an added plus, it doesn’t take nearly as long to prepare as indicated. I’ve made this several times now, and I can whip it together in under 15 minutes. The first time I prepared it I did it just as written. Over time I’ve modified the recipe. For anyone interested, I now do it with 8 to 10 good-sized leaves of fresh basil rather than parsley, and add two or three tablespoons of Olivio to the olive oil for extra richness. Any hard Italian cheese will work well, and I grind the pepper flakes in a mortar and pestle so they distribute better throughout the dish. The biggest change I’ve made is to add a bag of medium shrimp to the pan after I’ve sautéed the garlic. Once my well-drained spaghetti has been placed in the serving bowl, I add the salt, fresh-ground black pepper, pepper flakes, and basil and mix it well. Then I pour in the contents of the olive oil/Olivio, garlic, and shrimp pan, with the grated cheese last. Another good (but gentle) stir, and you’ve got a quick and easy meal that’s delicious enough to serve to company. As an added bonus, the leftovers actually heat up

Delicious! The only thing I added was capers.

OMG. How does something so simple taste so good?