Looking for a quick pasta recipe for those late night munchies? You need this Penne Aglio e Olio recipe in your repertoire. Done in 15 and so simple yet banging with flavour…
What Is Penne Aglio Olio?
You have probably heard aglio e olio mentioned somewhere on TV or online. Maybe you watched the film ‘Chef’ and wondered what all the fuss is about – pasta, garlic, chilli and olive oil. Sounds pretty bland. Wrong! The very first time I made this I was so surprised with how flavourful it was that it’s now in regular rotation and I love it. So what makes it so special? It’s that flavourful garlicky and spicy olive oil which is then made into a silky emulsion through pan tossing. Al dente pasta is then tossed in this sauce and it’s a lovely fresh and clean-tasting pasta dish. You can eat it on its own, or it can serve as the base for adding some of your favourite ingredients such as garlic prawns or grilled fish. I like to add a couple of extras to maximise the flavour in this recipe!
Ingredients
This recipe is easy to make and simple to learn. All you need is listed below!
- Pasta – obvious to mention but you can swap it up if you like. I have used penne but you can easily swap it with spaghetti, tagliatelle, bucatini or any of your favourite pastas.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – this forms the base of the sauce so try to use a good quality oil to get the most out of this dish.
- Garlic – this recipe shines if you use fresh garlic. You want all that flavour to make its way into the olive oil. You could use garlic from a tube, but to really experience this dish at it’s best, use fresh!
- Red Chilli – a lot of recipes use dried chilli flakes, which is good if you want that extra bit of heat in the dish. In keeping with the rest of the dish, I opted for a milder fresh red chilli which gives some heat but not too much.
- Anchovy Fillets – these are one of my secret ingredients! Adding these to the oil helps to season it and provide an extra flavour hit to the silky olive oil sauce.
- Fresh Lemon Juice – a squeeze over the final dish brings it alive and adds to the freshness of the overall dish.
- Pasta Water – this stuff is amazing and is essential to making the sauce cling to the pasta. When this is added to the olive oil and tossed with the pasta, that’s where the magic happens!
How To Make Penne Aglio e Olio
Aglio olio penne is quick to make, once the pasta is cooking a quick slice and dice and you are almost there. It all comes down to the right technique and timing. Follow these simple steps for success:
- Finely chop the garlic and cook briefly over medium heat. You do not want to overcook the garlic as it will turn bitter, just long enough to soften and the garlic flavour to permeate the sauce – around 2 minutes is fine.
- Salt your pasta cooking water. Well. I typically use a large handful of salt to add to my pot of pasta water. The pasta water really needs this to flavour the pasta and not make the dish too bland.
- Toss the pasta with the oil and pasta water. The tossing of the pasta helps to emulsify the oil and the starch in the pasta water. I reserve a cup towards the end of the cooking of the pasta for making up the sauce ( you won’t need it all).
FAQ’s
It literally means garlic and olive oil in Italian
This dish can be very healthy as it is packed full of good fats from the extra virgin olive oil and full of garlic. The added anchovies and lemon juice add some omega-3s and a dose of vitamin C.
Yes it is possible but the flavour of olive oil is what makes the dish something special. If you have to use something else, try another neutral-flavoured oil.
Its packed full of flavour and magic happens with the combo of good extra virgin olive oil and starchy pasta water. When emulsified, it sticks to the pasta and makes this dish special in it’s simplicity.
More Recipes
Penne Aglio e Olio
Ingredients
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 red chilli
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup pasta water
- 1 small bunch chopped fresh parsley
- 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice (for each dish)
- 200 grams dried penne pasta
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to the boil, add plenty salt, then add the pasta and simmer
- Whilst the pasta simmers, finely chop the garlic, red chilli and parsley
- A few minutes before the pasta is cooked, bring the olive oil up to temperature in a frying pan over medium heat
- Add the garlic, chilli and anchovy fillets and stir gently and cook for 2 minutes. The anchovy fillets will dissolve in the hot olive oil as you stir.
- Take a cup of the pasta water from the pot and add a little to the oil and garlic mixture in the pan
- Drain the pasta and add to the frying pan and toss to emulsify the sauce
- Add the chopped parsley and toss till combined adding more pasta water if needed.
- Add to the plate and sprinkle with some fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice before serving
Notes
- Use as much garlic as you like depending on your taste. I like to use 1 large clove per person but you can use more if you like.
- You can opt to use a 1/2 tsp or more of dried chilli flakes instead of fresh chilli depending on how spicy you want it.
- I like 2 anchovy fillets per person but you can adjust this to taste and depending on the size of your fillets. Go for good quality anchovy fillets to avoid small bones.
