By A traditional Italian pasta dish from Naples, “aglio e olio,” brings fancy restaurant cuisine into your own home kitchen.
“Aglio e olio” is a fairly popular dish that you can find at most fancy Italian restaurants. However, with the cheap ingredients and minimal prep, it is an amazing home-cooked meal. The dish contains just six ingredients and takes around 30 minutes to prepare.
I love to make this dish to impress friends and family.
You can also personalize this dish. Since it’s so simple, there is so much you can add. If you want a little more protein, just cook it separately and add it to the pasta when you add the parsley. My favorite additions are just chopped pieces of chicken or pork. You can also add some grated parmesan cheese to create a creamy sauce.
I often double this recipe and keep the leftovers to eat for dinners for that week.
Recipe:
½ lb dried spaghetti
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4-6 large garlic cloves, thin slivers
½ cup fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Heavily salt a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook your dried pasta according to box directions. Remember to save some of the pasta water once it is done cooking!
- While the pasta cooks, finely mince your parsley, as small as you can get it.
- Slice your garlic cloves into thin slivers, length-wise.
- Set aside both the parsley and garlic.
- Get a large saucepan and heat your olive oil over medium heat.
- Add your sliced garlic and stir constantly until the slices are slightly golden brown.
- Add the red pepper flakes and reduce heat to medium-low.
- Add the drained pasta and about ¼ cup of reserved pasta water.
- Squeeze the juice out of half of a lemon over top.
- Add your minced parsley and stir to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
- Smile.
