Name: Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 4 clove garlic; 1 piece peperoncino; 2 tbsp parsley; 0 salt; 320 g spaghetti

Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino

Naples in a single pan: spaghetti tossed with golden garlic, peppery extra-virgin olive oil, and a hit of dried red chili. Five pantry staples, ten minutes, no cheese needed.

🥬Vegetarian 🌱Vegan 🌶️Spicy

🇮🇹 Italy ·Europe · $

5 min Prep

12 min Cook

17 min Total

4 portions

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino is the Neapolitan classic that proves great Italian cooking needs almost nothing. Thin slivers of garlic are gently fried in good extra-virgin olive oil until just golden, never browned to bitterness, then dried red chili crumbles in to perfume the oil with heat. A ladle of starchy pasta water turns the oil into a glossy, clinging emulsion that coats every strand. It is genuinely spicy, brightened at the end with fresh parsley, and traditionally served with no cheese at all. Cheap, fast, and forgiving, it earned its nickname as the midnight pasta, the thing you cook when the cupboard is bare and the hour is late. The whole dish lives or dies on two things: the quality of the olive oil and not burning the garlic.

Ingredients

320 g spaghetti

60 ml extra-virgin olive oil use the best quality you have

4 clove garlic peeled and thinly sliced

1 piece peperoncino dried red chili, crumbled, or to taste

2 tbsp parsley flat-leaf, finely chopped (optional)

0 salt for the pasta water, to taste

Ingredients

4 portions

320 gspaghetti

60 mlextra-virgin olive oil use the best quality you have

4 clovegarlic peeled and thinly sliced

1 piecepeperoncino dried red chili, crumbled, or to taste

2 tbspparsley flat-leaf, finely chopped (optional)

salt for the pasta water, to taste

Instructions

Boil the pasta

1

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously. Add the spaghetti and cook until very al dente, usually a minute or two short of the package time, around 8 to 10 minutes.
~10 min
2

Just before draining, reserve a ladle or two of the starchy cooking water. You will need it to bring the sauce together.
~1 min

Make the garlic-chili oil

1

While the pasta cooks, peel and thinly slice the garlic. Pour the olive oil into a large pan over low to medium heat and add the garlic.
~2 min
2

Gently fry the garlic, stirring, until it turns pale gold and fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let it brown or it will taste bitter.
~3 min
3

Crumble in the dried peperoncino and stir for 30 to 60 seconds, just until the chili releases its aroma into the oil.
~1 min

Toss and emulsify

1

Drain the spaghetti and transfer it straight into the pan with the garlic-chili oil. Toss continuously over medium heat, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water, until the oil and water emulsify into a glossy sauce that coats every strand.
~2 min
2

Remove from the heat, scatter over the chopped parsley, and add a final drizzle of raw olive oil if you like. Serve immediately, with no cheese.
~1 min

Credits & Inspiration

Christina's Cucina
Authentic recipe stressing good oil, garlic and chili cooked just until aromatic.
Napoli on the Table
Neapolitan version with sliced garlic, dried peperoncino, and pasta-water emulsion.
Cucchiaio d'Argento
Italian reference recipe using 320g spaghetti, garlic and chili.
Somebody Feed Seb
Step-by-step garlic and chili oil method with reserved pasta water to bind the sauce.
Eataly
Classic Italian method: spaghetti, garlic browned without burning, parsley to finish.