Aglio e Olio Pasta

A is for Aglio e Olio Pasta

This year I'm participating in a bi-weekly challenge with some blogging friends to post recipes using all of the letters in the alphabet.  It can feature a food that begins with the letter of the week or the recipe name can contain the week's letter.

 

Cooking between Christmas and New Year is pretty non existent here. There are always leftovers to work through, gatherings and going out for meals so I'm easing my way back into the kitchen with this simple pasta dish from Ina Garten.

Aglio in Italian means garlic and olio is oil. The original plan was to double down on A and use angel hair but I could only get my hands on spaghetti. 

While the pasta is cooking in heavily salted water, heat up the olio in a large skillet. Since I had regular olive oil on hand, that's what I used. 

The recipe calls for very thinly sliced garlic and all I could think of was Paulie shaving the garlic with a razor blade in Goodfellas.  I used a knife and didn't get it quite that thin. 

Add sliced garlic to the oil and cook it until it's golden brown. Do not turn your back on it or walk away, once it's burned there's no recovering it.  When it's slightly golden around the edges, add the crushed chilies and cook for about 30 seconds. 

The sauce is finished by adding some of the reserved pasta water.  You want to be very, very careful when adding this water to the skillet.  Reduce it down and then take it off the heat.

Add the drained pasta,  real grated Parmesan (not the green canned stuff!) and fresh parsley.  You could also use basil.  Give it a nice toss with some tongs, making sure to incorporate it all well. 

Let it all sit for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is all absorbed into the pasta. It's a very simple, pretty dish with the bits of garlic, bright red of the pepper flakes and green of the parsley. 

 

Thank you again to Wendy for hosting the 2025 Alphabet Challenge and to the other bloggers for sharing their recipes this year! Check them out using the links down below! You can see all of the recipes I've made for the challenge here- Alphabet Challenge 2025.

Aglio e Olio Pasta

Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound dried spaghetti
• 1/3 cup good olive oil
• 8 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water before you drain the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a pot large enough to hold the pasta, such as a 12-inch sauté pan or a large, shallow pot. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until it just begins to turn golden on the edges- don't overcook it!
3. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more. Carefully add the reserved pasta-cooking water to the garlic and oil and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by about a third.
4. Add the drained pasta to the garlic sauce and toss. Off the heat, add the parsley and Parmesan and toss well. Allow the pasta to rest off the heat for 5 minutes for the sauce to be absorbed. Taste for seasoning and serve warm with extra Parmesan on the side.

Notes

Source: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/spaghetti-aglio-e-olio-recipe-2043225 Ina Garten, Food Network

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Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Aglio e Olio Pasta