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What is Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino?
Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino simply means Spaghetti with garlic (aglio), oil (olio), and chili peppers (peperoncino). This is a classic dish from Italy, and super delicious and easy to make!
The essential ingredients of this dish are spaghetti, garlic, oil, and chili peppers, but typically many cooks will add parmesan cheese, and Italian parsley, both incorporated into the pasta and as a garnish, as I do here.
Why Should You Make This Dish?
You should make this dish if any of the following apply!
- You LOVE BIG and BOLD flavors!
- A quick and easy meal is what is needed!
- It's Meatless Monday!
- You are looking for a delicious and budget friendly meal!
So if any of this applies to you, please read on and I'll show you step by step how to make a mouthwatering spicy spaghetti dish!
Ingredients Needed For Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino
You only need a handful of good quality ingredients to make this superb spicy spaghetti recipe. The ingredients you will need are:
- Spaghetti
- Olive oil
- Fresh garlic
- Thai chilies (you can sub red chili flakes if you prefer)
- Italian parsley
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
Many recipes for Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino use red chili flakes, however I believe fresh chilies are so much better. So this recipe includes my favorite chili...Thai bird's eye chili. These chilies are quite hot, and taste fruity and a bit sweet. They are also wonderfully colorful and add a lovely aesthetic to this dish.
This recipe does not involve any holding back of garlic and chilies. So if you are a fan of bold, spicy, and garlicky flavors then you are sure to love this dish! However if you prefer a milder dish, I've got you covered as well..simply reduce the amount of garlic and chilies to your tastes.
I used 8 cloves of garlic and 12 Thai bird's eye chilies for the dish that I made. Adding the garlic and chilies to a mini food processor makes quick work of mincing these ingredients.
Instructions
Start by cooking your pasta according to pasta package directions. It should take around 10-12 minutes depending upon what pasta you are using.
Meanwhile, heat up the ¼ cup of olive oil (med high) in a deep sided skillet. Your skillet needs to be large enough to accommodate all of the pasta. Once the oil is shimmering, add the minced garlic and chilis and stir constantly for around 1 minute. Then reduce the heat to very low, only to keep this mixture warm.
Just before draining your pasta, be sure to reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water. Drain your pasta, and then add it to the skillet which contains the oil, garlic, and chili mixture. Mix very well, adding the reserved pasta water a little at a time, until a silky smooth sauce is created. Each time you add the water, you want to mix well.
Once you have your smooth sauce, add the salt and pepper and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese. Then add your roughly chopped Italian parsley and mix well.
Taste, and add additional salt and/or pepper to suit you.
The dish is now ready to serve!
The Finishing Touches - Parmesan CHEESE and Italian Parsley
I like to add around ½ cup of finely and freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the mixture, as well as add additional Parmesan as a garnish. Roughly chopped Italian parsley is also added to the mix, as well as used as garnish.
The Keys To Making a Superb Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino
There are a couple of items to note which will help you make a SUPERB Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino. They are really quite simple.
- Don't overcook the garlic. You are aiming for the garlic to turn a golden brown. If the garlic is burned the taste will be bitter. My method calls for cooking the garlic and the chilies together for a short time in some hot oil, and then leaving on a very low heat just to keep warm while the pasta finishes cooking separately.
- Reserve some of your starchy pasta water. Just prior to draining your pasta once it is finished cooking, remove 1 cup of the water and set aside. Some of this water will be added to the oil, garlic, and chilies to make a silky smooth sauce.
After draining your pasta, you will add it to the chilies, oil, and garlic mixture and toss well. Then you add (a little at a time) some of the reserved pasta water and continue to toss until you achieve a nice smooth silky sauce that is to your liking!
I hope you will try this soon!
By the way, use the time you are cooking this dish to practice pronouncing Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino until it just rolls off the tongue. 🙂
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
Super Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole
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Grace
Quick and Easy Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic minced; you can modify the amount to suit your tastes
- 12 Thai chilies minced; you can modify the amount to suit your tastes and sub red pepper flakes if you like
- handful Italian parsley roughly chopped, plus extra for garnish
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese plus additional for garnish
- ¼ ts salt plus additional to taste
- ¼ ts pepper plus additional to taste
Instructions
- Start cooking your pasta according to pasta package directions. It should take around 10-12 minutes depending upon what pasta you are using.
- Meanwhile, heat up the ¼ cup of olive oil (med high) in a deep sided skillet. Your skillet needs to be large enough to accommodate all of the pasta. Once the oil is shimmering, add the minced garlic and chilis and stir constantly for around 1 minute. Then reduce the heat to very low, only to keep this mixture warm.
- Just before draining your pasta, be sure to reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water. Drain your pasta, and then add it to the skillet which contains the oil, garlic, and chili mixture. Mix very well, adding the reserved pasta water a little at a time, until a silky smooth sauce is created. Each time you add the water, you want to mix well.
- Once you have your smooth sauce, add the salt and pepper and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese. Then add your roughly chopped Italian parsley and mix well.
- Taste, and add additional salt and/or pepper to suit you. Now get set to enjoy a most delicious dish!
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