Pasta Aglio e Olio is easy to make, delicious to eat and the sexiest pasta recipe I know. In about 20 minutes you'll be serving glistening pasta loaded with olive oil, toasty garlic, fresh parsley, zesty lemon juice and a kick of crushed red pepper.
Has a movie ever inspired you to buy a cooking utensil? The movie Chef made me buy a carving fork, but not for the traditional use. I watched Jon Favreau use one to twist Pasta Aglio e Olio into a gorgeous spiral, and I had to have it.
You've seen the movie, right? Granted, the language is a little rough. But the food! To say that this movie is seductive doesn't really cover it. Really, how do you make a grilled cheese looks that sexy. And the Cubano, oh, the Cubano - that my friend, Nagi did a lovely job of recreating.
The first time I made Pasta Aglio e Olio, this may sound like sacrilege but, I thought: 'This is better than mac and cheese!' I was tempted to decrease the amount of olive oil - ⅓ cup for two people borders on obscene, doesn't it? But it's the perfect amount for this pasta dish. The pasta is silky, not greasy. And the play of fresh parsley and lemon zing, with the subtle heat of crushed red pepper and copious amounts of garlic and olive oil, well...you're just going to have to try it.
Serve With
Serve this with a simple vegetable like Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower or Zucchini Salad. And for a lighter riff on this dish, try Lemon Garlic Pasta. And Chocolate Panna Cotta or Affogato for dessert.
And for a couple of other super simple, mouthwatering Italian pastas, try my Bucatini Cacio e Pepe (no-fail method) and Tuna Pasta (with a no-cook sauce)!
How to Make Pasta Aglio e Olio
Step 1: Cook pasta according to package ingredients until al dente. Drain, reserving a cup or more of the cooking water.
Step 2: Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add sliced garlic cloves and stir just until toasted. Add crushed red pepper flakes and pasta; remove from heat and toss to coat.
Step 3: Add fresh parsley and lemon juice and toss again. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve!
Pasta Aglio e Olio Recipe Video
Pasta Aglio e Olio {Pasta with Garlic and Oil}
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti or linguine
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more! how hot do you like it?)
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, until al dente. (see recipe note) Drain, reserving 1 or more cups of the cooking liquid.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir until garlic is tender and very lightly brown (take care not to burn it!). Stir in crushed red pepper. Add pasta and remove from heat; gently toss to coat, adding pasta water if you like to reach your desired consistency.
- Add parsley and lemon juice and toss again. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
I’m in the process of making this but making for 8 and it increases all the ingredients except for the lemon….still says juice of 1 lemon what do you suggest…if I do 8 should be juice of 4 lemons?!? also 2 cups of chopped parsley seems like a lot….should I do the 2 cups of chopped parsley?
Hi Deborah! I'd do a 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice (I've updated the recipe to make this more clear for others in the future). For parsley, I'd go with 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped and add more if it looks sparse. I hope that helps!
So delicious and easy!! My husband loved it too. We will make this again for sure
I'm so glad it was a hit, Terry!
I prepared this tonight and it came out delicious, tasty, silky pasta. I doubled the lemon because I had plenty. I did not have any Italian cheese do I had to use feta, which paired really well with the lemon and garlic. I will make it again with the Parmesan.
I'm so happy to hear this was a hit for you, Carlos! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
I’ve made this twice now and it’s pretty fool proof. Both times I have screwed something up(burning the garlic, unevenly cooked linguine, etc.) and it comes out damn good either way. I mean it’s oil, noodles, garlic, and Parmesan. What’s not to like!
lol! I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipe, Sam.
The flavor is amazing, but I used angel hair and it didn't come out very well. It was too mushy! Thats my fault for not using spaghetti!
Next time, right? So glad you enjoyed the flavor and thank you for coming back to let me know!
I made it over the weekend and the flavor is simply amazing. Thank you for this great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed this, Elizabeth!
This was excellent! I have made it a few times, and I cook it a little differently each time. So delicious. Thank you for your blog!
So glad you're enjoying the recipe, Melissa!
That's so delicious. It's made me starving. I have to try it tonight for my family. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, Gabriel! Hope you and you family love it. 🙂
Absolutely nailed it!
I saw this in Chef and it looked so good, and your recipe was everything I hoped it would be!
That's wonderful to hear, Jason. Thank you!
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.
Fantastic! Love that you stuck with what you had on hand and that it still turned out great. 🙂
Was foraging thru my pantry during the C-19 stay at home mandate and decided to make this. It had been a while, but it turned out perfect! Used angel hair pasta, skipped the parsley, but was close on everything else, just minor adjustments for taste. Ended up eating both helpings & I never finish my pasta! God it was good!
haha...love this, Sarah! 🙂
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.
So glad you enjoyed this, Rimmy! And that you're adjusting it to suit your taste!
Great recipe. Simplicity is the epitome of perfection.
Thanks so much, Raul!
Thank you so much for this recipe , I followed it down to the last ingredient. My family loves lemon, nice touch. Not a morsel left!
That's fantastic, Kate! I'm so glad that you and your family enjoyed it!
absolutely love this easy pasta dinner. at least everyone smells the same after enjoying this great dinner making some tonight
I'm so glad you're enjoying this recipe, Jean! And it's so true, when there's a lot of garlic involved a dish, it's best if everyone eats it. 😉
I’ve been making this recipe for years, and it’s my youngest daughter’s favorite meal of all time. She likes when I sauté peppers in a separate pan, and then mix them with the pasta and the sauce. The sweetness from the peppers goes good with the heat from the crushed red pepper. Dynamite dish!
I love to hear that, Matt! Thank you! (I'll have to try it with peppers next time! 🙂 )
Hi Marissa, the only thing I see missing is to add olive oil to the water, and then save a cup of the pasta water, add back to the sauce pan reducing till gone. This is truly authentic Italian Traditional fFriday night dinner.
Blessings,
Stephen
Hi, Stephen! Pasta water is magic for extending sauce, I've added a note about it to the recipe. When I make this dish I try to time it so that I can scoop the al dente pasta out of the boiling water and add it directly to the sauce, so it brings a fair amount of liquid with it. I'll add this to the recipe notes too. Thank you for your comment!
Actually adding olive oil, or any oil to the pasta water is not a good way, because the oil coats the pasta in the pot, which renders pasta less able to absorb the flavors of the sauce with the red pepper, lemons and parsley.
One must keep watch over the pasta and keep it boiling with occasional stirs.
Hi, Forest. Yes, I agree. In this recipe, no oil is added to the pasta water - the pasta, along with any water that's clinging to it, is added to the hot oil and garlic mixture in the pan.
Thanks for the recipe - I'd not tried Pasta Aglio e Olio with lemon in before so it was an interest new take. I'm divided whether I prefer with or without the lemon - it's almost like having two different dishes to choose from!
Thanks, Alana.