Pasta Aglio e Olio

Some of the best meals come from the simplest ingredients.

This pasta aglio e olio came from watching Chef, one of those movies that makes you want to get straight into the kitchen and cook something with your hands. A little garlic, good olive oil, chilli, parsley, lemon and parmesan. Nothing fancy, just a bowl of pasta that feels far greater than the sum of its parts.

It is quick, comforting and full of flavour. The kind of dinner you make when the fridge is looking bare but you still want something that feels like a proper meal.

By Matt

Pasta Aglio e Olio

Name: Pasta Aglio e Olio
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 500 g dried spaghetti; 1 cup extra virgin olive oil; 12 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes; Sea salt, to taste; Cracked black pepper, to taste; 1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped; ½ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra to serve; ½ lemon, juiced

Some of the best meals come from the simplest ingredients.

It is quick, comforting and full of flavour. The kind of dinner you make when the fridge is looking bare but you still want something that feels like a proper meal.

Prep Time10m

Cooking Time15m

Total Time25m

Serves4

Ingredients

500 g dried spaghetti
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
12 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Sea salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
½ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
½ lemon, juiced

Method

Bring a large pot of well salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, following the packet instructions.
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook gently, stirring often, until golden and fragrant. Keep an eye on it as garlic can go from golden to burnt very quickly.
Add the chilli flakes, a good pinch of salt and plenty of cracked black pepper.
Reserve about ½ cup of pasta water, then drain the spaghetti.
Add the pasta straight into the pan with the garlic oil. Toss well, adding a splash of pasta water if needed to help everything coat the spaghetti.
Remove from the heat and toss through the parsley, parmesan and a generous squeeze of lemon juice.
Taste and adjust with more salt, pepper or lemon if needed. Serve with extra parmesan over the top.