Aglio e Olio

Name: Spaghetti Aglio E Olio
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 300 g Spaghetti; 80 ml High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 6 Garlic Cloves (Sliced); 10 g Flat Leaf Parsley (Chopped); 3 g Dried Chilli Flakes; 250 ml Reserved Pasta Water; Salt & Pepper (To Taste)

PREP

5 mins

COOK

15 mins

SERVES

DIFFICULTY

Easy

↓ Jump to Recipe

Chef Jack Ovens

Qualified Chef · 1.63M Subscribers

Updated August 2026

Five ingredients, twenty minutes, and one of the most satisfying pastas out there when it’s done right. Garlic, chilli and parsley in an oil-based sauce that clings to every strand of spaghetti.

The whole dish lives or dies on the garlic. Keep the heat low and pull it the second it shows the slightest hint of colour — scorched garlic turns bitter and there’s no fixing it once it’s gone too far.

Reserve plenty of pasta water before draining. That starchy water is what actually turns the oil into a sauce instead of just pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Aglio e Olio

PASTA · ITALIAN · EASY

Why You'll Love This Spaghetti Aglio E Olio

Proof That Simple Doesn't Mean Boring

There's nowhere for a bad ingredient to hide with only five of them, so it's worth using a genuinely good olive oil here — it makes a real difference to the final result.

It's the kind of pasta you can pull together from what's already in the pantry, no shopping trip required, which makes it a solid go-to on nights when you can't be bothered planning ahead.

Get the garlic and the pasta water technique right, and this punches way above what five basic ingredients should be capable of.

Spaghetti Aglio E Olio

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Calories: 897kcal

Servings: People

Metric - Imperial

Ingredients

300 g Spaghetti
80 ml High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 Garlic Cloves Sliced
10 g Flat Leaf Parsley Chopped
3 g Dried Chilli Flakes
250 ml Reserved Pasta Water
Salt & Pepper To Taste

Method

Bring a medium to large saucepan, half filled with water, to a boil. Add a big pinch of sea salt flakes and the spaghetti, and cook for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions.
Place a large pan over medium-high heat. While the pan is still cold, pour in the olive oil and add the garlic. Stir continuously until the garlic just starts to sizzle, then reduce the heat to low and sauté for 1-1 ½ minutes, just until the garlic shows the slightest hint of colour.
Add ½ cup (125ml) of the pasta water to stop the garlic from browning further and to form an emulsion. Simmer for 1 minute.
Once the spaghetti is cooked, transfer it directly from the pot into the pan, bringing a little more of the pasta water along with it. Cook for 1 minute, then turn off the heat.
With the pan still on the stovetop but off the heat, add the dried chilli flakes and parsley, and season with sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper. Mix thoroughly, serve, and dig in.

Chef's Tips

Keep the heat low when cooking the garlic — this is the easiest way to ruin the dish, since scorched garlic turns bitter and can't be fixed once it's gone too far.

Reserve pasta water before draining. The starch in it is what turns the oil and water into an actual sauce that coats the noodles, instead of just pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Toss the spaghetti in the pan off the heat once it's glossy — carryover heat keeps cooking it, and overworking it on the stove can cause the sauce to split.

Storage & Reheating

Best eaten fresh — aglio e olio doesn't reheat well, as the oil-based sauce separates and the noodles dry out. If needed, it'll keep in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water or olive oil to loosen the sauce back up, though the texture won't be quite as good as fresh.

Serving 350gCalories 897kcalCarbohydrates 115.8gProtein 20.5gFat 39gSaturated Fat 5.5gPolyunsaturated Fat 4.79gMonounsaturated Fat 26.94gTrans Fat 0.1gSodium 102.1mgPotassium 417.3mgFiber 5.4gSugar 4.7gVitamin A 138.33IUVitamin C 7.73mgCalcium 61.1mgIron 5.7mg

Common Questions

Why did my sauce split instead of coming together?⌄

This usually happens from too much heat or not enough pasta water. Keep the heat gentle once the pasta's in, and add more starchy water a splash at a time until it comes together glossy.

Can I add protein to make it more of a meal?⌄

Yes, grilled chicken, prawns, or even some crispy pancetta all work well tossed through at the end. It's a simple base that takes additions easily.

Why does the recipe say to undercook the pasta?⌄

It finishes cooking in the pan with the garlic oil and pasta water, which is what lets it properly absorb the sauce. Cooking it fully first would leave you with mushy pasta by the time it's tossed through.

Does this reheat well?⌄

Not particularly — the oil-based sauce tends to separate and the noodles dry out. It's best eaten fresh, though leftovers will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge if needed.