This 15-Minute Spaghetti Aglio e Olio uses only a handful of healthy, natural ingredients. It comes together quickly and tastes freshly delicious. Pairs well with any protein or veggies.
This week has started out in playing catch-up because we live in a winter wonderland that’s just blessed us with several new inches of March snow. 🤨
Heavy snow was expected to blanket the grounds early yesterday morning, but nothing eventful happened all day. We ended up getting a very belated snow storm for the evening commute instead.
However, the schools all around closed down for the fakeout snow day yesterday, which means all the boys stayed home with their rowdy selves, which means mama scrambled around all day and barely got anything tangible done.
Which also means I considered it a huge win to manage serving spaghetti for dinner last night. After all, I couldn’t even find time to squeeze in a shower til late at night.
So yeah, on crazy days like these, sitting down to a big plate of homemade Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is a momentous accomplishment…
Measurements for pasta aglio e olio generally can be done by eye. Aglio e Olio is a quintessential Italian pasta that’s basic and simple and thoroughly delicious. It’s no wonder that even toddlers in Italy are familiar with this dish.
Though amounts can vary a bit, depending on taste, the typical team members include plenty of sauteéd garlic, good quality olive oil, and fresh herbs like parsley for garnish. Happy bonus: lots and lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Because The Littles can gobble up huge portions of parm, we take every opportunity to load up our spaghetti with it.
Feel free to kick up your Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with dried red pepper flakes for a bit of spunky heat. Otherwise, you can leave it out and just do the freshly cracked black pepper thing. The best thing about this healthy pot of carbs is its versatility – add your fave protein, serve alongside easy roasted veggies, or play with fresh herbs.
We went rogue and drizzled fresh lemon juice over the finished pasta, resulting in a audaciously refreshing taste experience.
P.S. It’s surprisingly fun to keep pronouncing aglio e olio while swirling noodles around your fork.
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15-Minute Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
This 15-Minute Spaghetti Aglio e Olio uses only a handful of healthy, natural ingredients. It comes together quickly and tastes freshly delicious. Pairs well with any protein or veggies.
Ingredients
- 13 oz dry spaghetti (I use whole grain)
- 4 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, chopped (I use red onion for color)
- 1/2 cup regular strength chicken or veggie broth
- 1 cup freshly chopped parsley
- 1 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Optional garnishes: Dried red pepper flakes, 1 lemon sliced into wedges, extra parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Drain pasta in colander. Transfer pasta back into the empty pot and toss with 3 TB olive oil; cover and set aside.
- While spaghetti is cooking, heat 1 TB olive oil in large skillet until oil is hot. Add garlic and onion, stirring until aromatic and browned, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic mixture to the pot of cooked spaghetti and stir to combine well. Add broth to loosen pasta as needed. Add parsley and parmesan cheese, tossing until well coated. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- If using, sprinkle with desired amount of red pepper flakes and serve with fresh lemon wedges and extra parmesan cheese.
Notes
I use chicken or veggie broth for extra flavor, but you can use the traditional pasta water instead (reserve some of the pasta water before draining the pasta, and use that for the liquid.)
This dish is fantastic with Lemon Dijon Grilled Chicken or 10-minute Garlic Shrimp.
- Category: pasta, dinner
- Cuisine: Italian
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Wow, 15 minutes? Now I have to try this. I love making quick meals on busy days. And I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be one of them. I’ll bookmark this recipe for tomorrow.
Wow, you guys seemed to be really surrounded with snow. Anyway, the spaghetti looks really luscious and I would love to get some and try it. I’m sure that you guys really have enjoyed the food while the snow is pouring heavily.
This is an amazing recipe idea and a fun twist on spaghetti. I’m going to add this to our menu. I think my family of picky eaters will love this.
I love a good spaghetti! And I agree that adding red pepper flakes to add zest is always a good idea. 🙂
This easy and quick spaghetti recipe looks delicious and really tempting. I will give this recipe a try and put some twist. Love it.
Oh wow, that’s a super simple dish! I’ve been looking for ways to add variety into my dinners!! Thanks for the idea!
Aglio e Olio is our family’s favorite. We love to put fresh prawns and chili on it. You are making me so hungry!
Oh, we’re huge spaghetti fans here. I would totally make this (but for my portion, I would have to leave the parmesan out – I’m lactose sensitive).
I love any and every kind of spaghetti! This looks delicious, and yes, please I’ll eat it just as it is.
Ha! That’s an easy one and a veggie one. And I have some pasta lying in my kitchen for quite some time now. Gonna do this tomorrow.
I remember my Italian Mom telling me to roll the Ls when pronouncing Aglio e Olio (like “al-ya ol-ya”) …what fun to say! Such a simple pasta dish that is so darn good. Can’t go wrong with this one.
Aglio Olio are the go-to spaghetti for both me and my boyfriend! I love eating them, but I’ve never tried the red pepper flakes (haven’t seen them before). I usually like them really peppery!
I love spaghetti! easy to prepare, yummy to eat.. simply irresistable!
Oh, this is by far my favorite way to eat pasta! Simple, fresh ingredients and it is absolutely delicious! I have made this multiple times and last time I was out of parsley – still delicious! Thank you for another winning recipe!!
It’s one of our simple favorites for dinner, too, Jennifer 🙂 Happy continued cooking!