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Italian

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino

Vegetarian

The classic late-night Neapolitan pasta: spaghetti tossed in olive oil gently infused with sliced garlic and dried chilli, loosened with starchy pasta water and finished with parsley.

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino is an Italian pasta dish from Italy, ready in about 17 minutes and made with dried pasta, olive oil and garlic. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Close-up of a plate of classic Italian spaghetti aglio e olio garnished with fresh herbs.
Photo: adrian vieriu / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
5 min
Cook
12 min
Total
17 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
582

Ingredients

4 servings

For the cooking water

To finish

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of water to the boil, salt it and cook the spaghetti (opens in a new tab) until just shy of al dente. Keep a mug of the cooking water before draining.

    Pasta boiling in a pot of water
    How it looks · Photo: Gianpiero Ferraro on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    While the pasta (opens in a new tab) cooks, put the oil, garlic (opens in a new tab) and chilli in a wide cold pan and warm over low heat until the garlic is pale gold and fragrant. Do not let it brown.

  3. Step 3

    Add the drained pasta (opens in a new tab) and a good splash of cooking water to the pan. Toss hard over medium heat for a minute until the oil and water emulsify into a light coating.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Toss through the parsley (opens in a new tab), taste for salt and serve straight away.

    About this dish

    Origin
    Campania, Italy · Commonly attributedGenerally linked to Naples and southern Italy.More food from Italy
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Pasta · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Boiled, Sautéed
    Taste
    garlicky, spicy (chilli heat), savoury
    Diet
    Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Everyday · Budget-friendly
    Cook more with
    Dried pasta · Garlic · Red chilli flakes · Parsley
    Techniques
    Sautéing · Boiling · Emulsification

    Allergens

    • May contain: Eggsfrom dried pasta
    • Contains: Wheatfrom dried pasta
    • Contains: Glutenfrom dried pasta

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    582 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 132 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 9%
    • Carbohydrate 53%
    • Fat 38%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy582 kcal441 kcal
    Protein13.5 g10.2 g
    Carbohydrate76.8 g58.1 g
    Net carbohydrate73.2 g55.4 g
    Sugars2.8 g2.1 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre3.5 g2.7 g
    Fat24.4 g18.5 g
    Saturated fat3.4 g2.6 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
    Sodium445 mg337 mg
    Salt equivalent1.1 g0.8 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    268 mg
    Calcium
    35 mg
    Iron
    3.7 mg
    Magnesium
    56 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    21 µg
    Vitamin C
    6 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    396 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Red chilli flakes: Ground cayenne (FDC 170932) used as a stand-in for dried chilli flakes such as pul biber or Aleppo pepper.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Starting the garlic in cold oil gives you more control and an evenly golden result.

    Common mistakes

    • Burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter — start again if it goes dark.
    • Draining the pasta dry; the starchy water is what makes the sauce cling.

    Serve with

    • Traditionally served without cheese, but a little grated pecorino is a common addition at home.

    Storage

    • Best eaten immediately.

    Variations

    • With anchovies: Melt a few anchovy fillets into the oil with the garlic.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 2, 3

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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