Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (AI Generated)

Garlic, olive oil, chili flakes, pasta water. That’s it.

Prep: 5 min Cook: 15 min Serves: 2
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Ingredients

  • 8 oz spaghetti
  • ⅓ cup good olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes (more to taste)
  • Kosher salt
  • Fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • Parmesan (optional)

Instructions

  1. Boil pasta in well-salted water. Cook 1 minute short of package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
  2. While pasta cooks: heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic slices. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until light golden — about 4 minutes. Do not rush this. Burned garlic is bitter garbage.
  3. Add red pepper flakes, stir 30 seconds.
  4. Add drained pasta directly to the skillet. Add ½ cup pasta water.
  5. Toss aggressively over medium heat for 1–2 minutes. The starch in the water will emulsify with the oil into a silky sauce. Add more pasta water if it looks dry.
  6. Kill the heat. Add parsley, toss.
  7. Plate. Hit it with parmesan if you want.

Notes

  • The garlic should be sliced, not minced. Slices cook more evenly and give you those nice golden chips.
  • This recipe lives and dies by the pasta water. Starchy, salty water is the sauce. Don’t skimp on salting the boil.