Garlic Pasta with Oil (Printable Version)

Spaghetti coated in garlic-infused olive oil with chili and fresh parsley, a classic Italian favorite.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz spaghetti or linguine

→ Sauce

02 - 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
03 - 6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
04 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
05 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
06 - Salt, to taste
07 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Finishing

08 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
09 - Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain the pasta.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Avoid burning the garlic.
03 - Stir in red pepper flakes if using and cook for 30 seconds to release flavor.
04 - Add cooked pasta to skillet along with half of the reserved pasta water. Toss to coat evenly, adding more pasta water as needed to create a silky sauce.
05 - Remove pan from heat. Stir in chopped parsley, season with salt and black pepper to taste.
06 - Serve immediately, optionally topped with Parmesan cheese and lemon zest.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's ready in twenty minutes, which means you can feed yourself something restaurant-quality on a Tuesday without ceremony.
  • The garlic becomes impossibly tender and fragrant, tasting nothing like raw garlic and everything like comfort.
  • Pasta water is your secret weapon here—it transforms into this silky sauce that clings to every bite.
02 -
  • Don't drain your pasta water before you're ready—it's the ingredient that makes this dish creamy and cohesive.
  • Slice your garlic thin rather than mincing it; thin slices cook more evenly and give you a better texture than garlic that falls apart into powder.
  • Remove the pan from heat before adding the parsley, so it stays bright green instead of turning dark and muted.
03 -
  • Use a skillet large enough to hold all the pasta comfortably—crowding the pan means uneven cooking and sauce distribution.
  • Keep the heat at medium so the garlic browns gently and evenly instead of burning at the edges while staying raw in the center.

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