Lighter Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

5 from 5 votes

This lighter spaghetti aglio e olio is one of my favorite go to weeknight meal. It requires very few ingredients and makes an incredibly delicious dish that pairs well with so many sides!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: dinner, lucnh, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 295Calories

Ingredients

12 oz spaghetti
¼ cup good olive oil
6 large garlic cloves Thinly sliced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup pasta water/starch water

Optiona garnishes

shaved parmesan cheese
chopped parsley
sun dried tomatoes
lemon juice/zest

Instructions

First, start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the spaghetti and cook until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking about halfway through, heat the olive oil, sliced garlic and red pepper flakes in a sauce pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic until it gets light golden brown. Don't walk away from the pot because it was burn fairly quick. If the garlic is sautéd before the pasta is ready, make sure to move it away from the heat so that it doesn't burn. At this point you can transfer the garlic, red pepper flake, and olive oil mixture to a larger pot.
Once the pasta is cooked, use tongs to transfer the hot pasta over the olive oil mixture, add in ¼ cup of the pasta water and sauté one last time on medium heat until the water has evaporated. Taste the pasta and add in any salt of red pepper flakes if necessary.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and some parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Notes

This can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition