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This recipe hits the refresh button on Pasta Aglio E Olio as we know it with the addition of toasted breadcrumbs and fresh lemon!
Why You’ll Love This Pasta Aglio E Olio
This dish is perfect for those nights you find yourself in a pinch. With just 15-minutes start to finish and under 10 ingredients—all of them being pantry staples you likely have in stock—you get a comforting pasta dish that will appease everyone.
Aside from that, I’ve added lemon and toasted breadcrumbs. Lemon does wonders at bringing flavors out of dishes, and this pasta aglio e olio is no exception. As for the breadcrumbs, who doesn’t love a toasty crunch?
What to Serve With This Dish
- Pasta always goes well with a nice and simple side salad. I’m also a huge fan of serving it with a Caesar salad.
- Fresh bread is never a bad idea when it comes to serving pasta!
- If you’re planning on small pasta portions to be able to include a starter, this Italian Wedding Soup With Ground Chicken Meatballs would be an awesome pairing, and a great way to add protein since this pasta doesn’t include it.
Quick Tips
- Generously salt your pasta water before cooking it. Aglio E Olio can be bland if you don’t use an adequate amount of salt. If you’re finding the end result still tastes a little bland, add more salt bit-by-bit until the flavors pop.
- Be sure to reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water when draining your pasta. This will be used to create a sauce later!
- When simmering the garlic in the oil, keep it moving by stirring often. You want the garlic to soften and become aromatic without browning it. If it burns, it becomes bitter.
- Toast your breadcrumbs before starting anything else. It’s important to keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. Once they’re done, set them aside until serving time.
- Go ahead and toss in some freshly grated parmesan for a bit of cheesiness and extra flavor!
Ingredients
- Long pasta—like spaghetti, angel hair, or fettuccine
- Sea salt
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Chili flakes
- Panko breadcrumbs; Italian breadcrumbs will also work.
- Lemon
- Fresh parsley—flat leaf and curly parsley are both fine
- Optional, but you can add some Italian seasoning for a bit of an herbaceous flare
How to Make Pasta Aglio E Olio
Start by toasting the breadcrumbs. Heat a dry pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, bring the heat down to medium-low, then add the breadcrumbs. Let the breadcrumbs toast, shaking the pan every so often to prevent burning. Once the breadcrumbs start to smell nice and toasty and turn golden in color, kill the heat and remove the pan, setting the breadcrumbs aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add a generous amount of salt, then add the pasta. Cook to al dente, as per the directions on the packaging.
While the pasta cooks, get your garlic going. Heat 1/2 cup of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and chili flakes, and give it a good stir. Stir often to prevent the garlic from browning.
Once the pasta is done cooking, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
Add the pasta to the pot with the garlic and chili oil. Using tongs, toss the pasta thoroughly for even coverage. Bit by bit, add the reserved pasta water. This water is starchy and will help create a nice sauce out of the oil and will help it stick to the noodles.
Taste the pasta. If it seems bland, go ahead and add a few pinches more of salt, bit by bit, until you get the flavor going. This is definitely a dish that needs salt!
Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh parsley, and a few cracks of black pepper if you’re so inclined. If you’re adding any parmesan cheese, now is the time to do that.
Toss everything to coat, and serve with extra chili flakes on the side for those who like a little extra heat!
Storage & Reheating
- This pasta will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To reheat, you can pop it into a skillet and slowly heat it through, adding a smidgen more oil to “liven” it up. Or pop it into the microwave for a minute or two until it’s heated to your preference.
Have You Made This Recipe?
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More Easy Weeknight Pastas for You to Try
- Clam Pasta With Tomato Sauce
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta With Zucchini and Tomatoes
- Mushroom Ravioli With Brown Butter & Crispy Sage
- Pappardelle Pasta With Arrabbiata Sauce
- Instant Pot Pasta Primavera
- 20-Minute Tuna Pasta
- Summer Harvest Cheese Ravioli
15-Minute Pasta Aglio E Olio With Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 1 lb long pasta, Spaghetti, angel hair, fettuccine
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced, Add more if you want more heat
- 1/2 cup toasted breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
Instructions
TOASTING THE BREADCRUMBS
- Heat a dry pan over medium heat and, when the pan is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and let them toast, shaking the pan every now and then so they don't burn. When the breadcrumbs start to become aromatic and turn a light golden color, remove them from the heat and set them aside.
PASTA AGLIO E OLIO
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once you have a rolling boil, toss a generous amount of salt into the water. Add the pasta and, going by the instructions on the packaging, cook it to al dente.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-low heat. When it's hot, add the garlic and chili flakes, giving them a good stir to prevent burning. Stir them often to keep them moving. (Avoid browning thr garlic.)
- When the pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water; drain the rest.
- Transfer the pasta to the garlic and chili oil and, using tongs, toss the pasta thoroughly until it's all covered. Add the pasta water bit by bit to create a sauce out of the oil. This will also help the sauce stick to the noodles.
- Do a taste test with the pasta and, If it seems bland, add a few pinches of salt until you get the flavor going. This is why salting the pasta water enough is so important.
- Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh parsley, and a few cracks of black pepper if you wish. Now would also be the time to add parmesan cheese if you're using it.
- Toss well to coat and serve with extra chili flakes for those who like a little extra heat.
Didn’t think it would be so easy, but it really was. Going into the weekly rotation!
Sometimes the simpler recipes are the best ones! I love this texture combination you’ve got going on- breadcrumbs, cheese, pasta, parsley, chili flakes… YUM! Right up my alley. My go-to pasta dish: hot pasta, egg whisked with a bit of the pasta water, chopped walnuts, chopped cilantro (oh wait- you hate cilantro don’t you? Replace with parsley!), a generous dose of good quality olive oil and some S&P. SO good!
Oh girl. Your go-to pasta dish sounds incredible! I love the addition of walnuts! I have to give that a whirl sometime. Also, I’m impressed by your memory regarding my hatred toward cilantro ;) I guess I do tend to be pretty vocal about it, haha.
You are 100 per cent right, Dana: pecorino romano makes EVERYTHING better. And toasted breadcrumbs?! Bring on the gluten. This is such a perfect dish for when you have nothing in pantry and need to get food on the table ASAP. No one will say no to pasta with oil, garlic, cheese and breadcrumbs!
The bread crumbs are LIFE. I can’t imagine this dish without them anymore. I mean hey, it works and it’s still delicious, but once you get a taste with those crispy toasted bits… damn.
Cheese please! Oh. And garlic. And all the chili flakes. I’ll just sub in some g/f pasta and we’ll be good to go! Yum.
I hope you love it :)
The best pasta dishes are always the simple ones that let the ingredients shine. This looks beautiful and so yummy. Definitely worth all the carbs ;)
Thanks, Nathalie! It’s true! It’s amazing how simple you can keep things with pasta and somehow have it turn out to be pretty elegant.
While I’ve been known to craft the occasional complex pasta dish, I have to say that I hold a deep love for recipes like this. First of all, I’m a self-confessed carb fiend, so yayyyy to the breadcrumbs on pasta. Also I have to agree with you – everything’s better with cheese. But honestly, pasta dishes like this are such a great way to demonstrate the value and flexibility of really good ingredients. There’s no trickery or hiding behind big flavours – it’s just simple and amazing stuff. And I LOVE it. I’m so glad you posted this – and so glad that you put useful and detailed instructions in. After all, if you’re going to rock an elegant, minimalist pasta, then you need to know what you’re doing! Cheers!
Thanks, Sean! Couldn’t agree more. Once I grew more interested in Italian cuisine and started to eat at more authentic Italian restaurants, I quickly learned that 1. fresh pasta is everything, and 2. you really don’t need to add much to a pasta dish if you have a solid homemade sauce. I do enjoy the odd crisp-cleaning pasta bake to get rid of veggies before the turn, but if I’m planning a solid Italian meal, simple is the way.
Spaghetti aglio olio (e peperoncino) is a staple in our house. we love it and make it often. It is simple yet complex and full of flavors. The addition of the toasted breadcrumbs makes it even yummier! And the parsley (we never make it without), it goes very well with all the flavors. Love your pictures, Dana, you captured the essence of this pasta :-) .
P.s. There is a “blogger recognition award” kind of chain going on. We were nominated by some blogger and in our turn, we nominated some blogs we love, including yours. Here is the link to our post (participation is optional): http://www.sugarlovespices.com/sour-cherry-mini-galettes/
Oh peperoncino, how I love thee. Thanks so much for the kind words, and gosh, thanks so much for the nomination! How amazing are you? That made my day. Really. I am so fortunate to have a tightly knit circle of friends and creatives in this overly saturated food blog world. <3
Oh yes! I’m a sucker for angel hair pasta! Knowing me, I’d most likely end-up adding roasted veggies to it, but what a lovely classic dish! Yum! Gimme garlic over everything!
It’s hard to go wrong with some roasted veggies. I think roasted broccoli would turn this into an even bigger winner. Noms.
First of all, Thanks you for not forgetting the cheese;) and second I love the added breadcrumbs it bring a nice complementary texture to the pasta! Love this dish, simple, elegant and cheesy tasty;)
It will be a cold day in hell if I ever snub cheese :) Thanks, Marie!
Mmmm…garlic simmered in olive oil. How amazing! I love dishes that are quick and easy to prepare with few ingredients, and this one looks like a wonderful treat!
Thanks, Cathy! It’s definitely one of those weeknight wonders.