Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
341kcal6.8g protein17.7g fat38.6g carbs~$0.43/ serving*Estimates computed from the ingredient list; cost uses average US supermarket prices. Not a substitute for packaging measurements or your receipt.
Contains gluten · only in an optional ingredient: dairy
Restrictions
ContainsglutenIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.
Only if you add itdairy (cheese pecorino)Leave that ingredient out and the dish does not have it.
Diets
VegetarianVegan · without onePescatarianNo porkNo alcohol
Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.
Ingredients
Servings:
| 7 oz |  pasta (spaghetti) |
| 5 tbsp | olive oil (extra virgin) |
| 5 clove |  garlic (sliced paper thin) |
| ½ tsp |  chili (red pepper flakes) |
| 3 tbsp |  parsley (flat leaf, chopped) |
| 1 tbsp | salt (for the pasta water) |
Optional
Not counted above. The dish works without them.
| ¼ cup |  cheese (pecorino, finely grated) |
| ¼ cup |  breadcrumbs (toasted in oil) |
| ¼ tsp |  black pepper (ground) |
Steps
- Boil9 minwell salted, less water than usual, to 2 minutes short of the packetpasta, reserving two cups of the water before draining. Use only enough water to cover — less water means more dissolved starch per cup, and that starch is the emulsifier the sauce depends on. Undercook deliberately; it finishes in the pan
- Saute5 mincold oil, cold pan, medium-low, garlic added at the startolive oil + sliced garlic + chilli flakes, brought up slowly until the slices turn pale gold at the edges and smell sweet and nutty. Starting cold gives the garlic time to release its aromatics into the oil before it colours. Garlic browns hard around 150°C and the bitter compounds it makes then do not cook out — if it darkens, throw it out and start over rather than build on it
- Emulsify4 mindrained pasta into the oil, half a cup of pasta water, high heat, tossing constantlypasta + garlic oil + pasta water, tossed hard until the liquid goes from thin and separate to a glossy sauce that clings. The starch dissolved in the water coats the oil droplets and holds them suspended; the tossing supplies the mechanical energy. A pan left to sit will not emulsify however long it cooks — the motion is the technique
- Fold1 minoff the heat+ parsley (+ pecorino, + pepper), tossed through. Cheese goes in off the heat and with the pan slightly cooled; dropped into a boiling emulsion it seizes into strings
- Season1 minimmediately, plates warmedto taste, loosening with more pasta water if it tightens — and it will keep tightening as it cools, so send it slightly looser than looks right. There is no salt in the sauce itself; all of it came from the water the pasta cooked in, which is why that water has to be properly salted