Italian Recipe Book

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Subscribe

subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Subscribe

×
Home » Recipes » Pasta

Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino

May 12, 2021 · Modified: Sep 13, 2024 by Svitlana · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

353 shares
  • Facebook
  • Yummly
Jump to Recipe

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino is one of the simplest (and cheapest!) Italian recipes. And I guarantee, it’ll save your lunch or dinner times and times, especially when you’re short on time, ingredients or physical energy.

In Italy, this is the ultimate go-to pasta to make when you’re short on time and/or ingredients. You can make it in mere 15 minutes with 4 simple ingredients that you have in your pantry!

Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino on a plate with a pan of spaghetti in the background.

Many Italians prepare Sapghetti Aglio e Olio for lunch, when they have to return to work in a short time. Others use it when they are on a diet, because it allows them to enjoy a good dish using only healthy ingredients. It is also great dish for when you're on a budget.

In Italy, spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino is also often referred to as “midnight spaghetti”.

It’s especially popular among students. Mainly because it doesn't require any cooking skills and you always have all the ingredients available. So it’s easy to make aglio e olio pasta even at midnight, when you just got home and even if there’s a big crowd to feed.

When To Make Pasta Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino

  1. Just got home and don’t know what to cook.
  2. You’re back from vacation and have an empty fridge.
  3. You have unexpected (hungry) guests and need to whip up something quick and delicious that everyone will love.
  4. You want a simple, no fuss but delicious doze of carbs!
  5. A variation or a mix of all the above.
Spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino on a plate with garlic and parsley next to it.

What Is Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Spaghetti aglio e olio is a typical recipe of Neapolitan cuisine. It is part of the so called “cucina piccina partenopea”, which included many simple meals that people from Naples prepared with just a few ingredients. 

It is also one of the most famous “piatti poveri” which translates from Italian as “poor man’s dishes”. As the name suggests, these dishes were usually eaten by the poorest people, who had nearly nothing and could cook with what they could find.

In spite of the rich, the ingredients that were used for these dishes were super healthy and usually didn’t require a lot of preparation time.

Other piatti poveri include pappa al pomodoro, panzanella salad, passatelli (but not how we know them now) and cipollata. 

Spaghetti aglio e olio is probably the simplest Italian recipe. It may seem too easy to be good, but I can assure you that you’ll never get tired of it. 

Here’s how to make a plate of perfect pasta aglio e olio even if you’ve never made it before.

Ingredients

Ingredients needed for Spaghetti aglio e olio laid on a wooden surface.
  • Spaghetti or other long type of pasta
  • Garlic (aglio in Italian)
  • Extra virgin olive oil (olio in Italian)
  • Chili pepper/hot pepper - fresh or dried (peperoncino in Italian)
  • Parsley - while it’s not the absolutely necessary ingredient of pasta aglio e olio it’s still used in 99% of the times. It add a little extra flavor and bright colors to the whole plate.

FUN FACT: Some say that Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino made with all the ingredients listed above is nothing else but a poor man’s version of Spaghetti with Clams - but without clams.

How To Make Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperincino

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. 
  • Once water is boiling add salt to taste and cook spaghetti ‘al dente’.
  • While you’re waiting, start preparing the sauce.
  • Peel garlic clove(s), split it in half and discard the green part that is in the middle. Chop the rest of the clove.
    If you’re using whole (fresh or dried) chili pepper, slice it lengthwise, remove the seeds and discard the stem. Chop peperoncino coarsely.
Chopped garlic, parsley and chili flakes on a wooden board.

Put oil, garlic and peperoncino or chili flakes in a skillet pan, start heating over low heat.

A pan with olive oil, garlic and chili flakes.

Let them fry for about two minutes then add a little bit of parsley. 

Aglio olio e peperoncino sauce cooking in a pan.

Once spaghetti are cooked, move them to the skillet along with a small ladle or so of pasta cooking water. The pasta should not float in the water, add just enough to let pasta absorb a little bit of it.

Adding a ladle of pasta cooking water to the pan with spagetti.

Toss everything in the pan for a minutes or so. Add the remaining chopped parsley and give it another nice toss before serving.

How To Plate Spaghetti

Pick as much spaghetti from the pan as you can using preferably straight long food tongs, place them in a soup laddle and twirl until you get a spaghetti nest. Gently transfer spaghetti on a plate (see photo below).

Swirling spaghetti in a ladle using tongs.

Here's what a perfectly plated bowl of spaghetti looks like.

A bowl of spaghetti garnished with parsley.

Tips & Tricks

  • For milder garlic taste use garlic cloves, which you’ll remove after the sauce is ready. If you like stronger garlic taste garlic cloves should be chopped.
  • If you want your pasta to be even more spicy, don’t discard the seeds from chilli peppers but put them in the pan as well.
  • If you’re preparing a small portion and you are using a regular size pan, you risk to burn your soffritto. Why? Because there won’t be enough olive oil to generously cover the bottom of the pan without making your pasta too oily. So here’s what you should do. 
    Tilt the pan slightly after you’ve added all the ingredients for the sauce so that garlic, peperoncino and parsey are fully covered with oil. This way they will cook evenly without being burnt.

Possible Variations/ Add-Ons

This is also a dish that people like to improvise with, so there are some less orthodox (but not any less good) variations. 

  • Anchovies. In addition to basic ingredients for spaghetti aglio e olio some like to add a fillet of anchovy. This does not go against tradition, because anchovy has always been really easy to fish near Naples, and it is likely that people added this ingredient even in older times. If you want to do that too, you should add your fillet after the garlic starts to brown. Stir it with well with a wooden spoon until it melts, then add the spaghetti. 
  • Breadcrumbs. Others add a bit of toasted breadcrumbs to give it a little crunch. It serves almost as grated Parmesan cheese in other pasta recipes that is added for finishing.
  • Lemon zest. Many, for example, add grated lemon zest at the end of the cooking process to add a fresh flavor. Try it during the summer!
  • Bottarga - cued fish roe. In fact, adding bottarga to aglio olio e peperoncino essentially transforms it into Spaghetti Alla Bottarga - typical pasta from Sardinia.
  • If you have your favorite add-on to spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino I’d love to know!

More Easy Pasta Recipes

  • Pasta al pesto with potatoes and green beans.
    Pasta Al Pesto (Super Easy & Creamy!)
  • Pasta Caprese on a serving dish.
    Pasta Caprese (Two Ways)
  • ricotta cavatelli on a plate
    Ricotta Cavatelli (Only 2 Ingredients!)
  • A bowl of cacio e pepe pasta.
    Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe (Perfectly Creamy Every Time!)

Love Italian Food?
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to receive tips, tricks and new recipes delivered straight to your inbox!

Sign me up!

Full Recipe

Spaghetti aglio e olio in a bowl with a fork on the side.

Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino

5 from 4 votes
Try this delicious Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino - an Italian staple dish when you’re short on time and/or ingredients.
Recipe authorAuthor: Svi
PREP TIME:5 minutes mins
COOK TIME:10 minutes mins
TOTAL TIME:15 minutes mins
SERVINGS: 4
Prevent your screen from going dark
Print Recipe SaveSaved! Pin Rate Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 14 oz spaghetti , approx 400g
  • 2-4 cloves garlic
  • 6-8 sprigs of parsley , chopped, stem removed
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil , enough to cover the bottom of your skillet pan
  • 2 small red chili pepper (peperoncino) chili flakes to taste
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  • Once water is boiling add salt to taste and cook spaghetti ‘al dente’.
    While you’re waiting, start preparing the sauce.
  • Peel garlic clove(s), split it in half and discard the green part that is in the middle. Chop the rest of the clove.
    If you’re using whole (fresh or dried) chili pepper, slice it lengthwise, remove the seeds and discard the stem. Chop peperoncino coarsely.
  • Put oil, garlic and fresh peperoncino or dried chili flakes in a skillet pan, start heating over low heat.
    Let them fry for about two minutes then add a little bit of parsley.
  • Once spaghetti are cooked, move them to the skillet along with a small ladle of so of pasta cooking water.
    Pasta should not float in the water, add just enough to let pasta absorb a little bit of it.
    Toss everything in the pan for a minutes or so. Add the remaining chopped parsley and give it another nice toss before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 609kcalCarbohydrates: 75gProtein: 13gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gSodium: 201mgPotassium: 228mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 0.1IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Have a question or want to let me know you loved the recipe?Leave a comment below! I love hearing from you!

More Italian Pasta Recipes

  • Soft pumpkin gnocchi on a fork.
    Pumpkin Gnocchi (Perfect Every Time!)
  • Creamy gnocchi carbonara in a plate.
    Gnocchi Alla Carbonara
  • Spaghetti with shrimp tomato sauce on a plate.
    Shrimp Spaghetti (The Creamiest You've Ever Had!)
  • Spaghetti with breadcrumbs on a round plate.
    Pasta With Breadcrumbs {From La Cucina Povera}
353 shares
  • Facebook
  • Yummly

Comments

    5 from 4 votes

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Annie says

    March 22, 2023 at 11:01 pm

    This has been popular in our family for generations. We omit the parsley and add a cut up potato and some broccoli when boiling the pasta. And of course, top it with plenty of cheese. So good!

    Reply
  2. Erin says

    June 12, 2021 at 11:36 pm

    Fantastic! Added a little lemon zest as recommended. Used bucatini noodles. An absolutely hit! Superb recipe

    Reply
  3. Licia McClary Trifoglio says

    May 17, 2021 at 2:48 pm

    This is my go to when I am just exhausted from work as well as when I feel I need a little extra something on the dinner table. Its great filler and as an Italian we always love some pasta dish with any meal. Its simple but be sure to use quality ingredients because yes simple but quality rules this dish. I must add fresh grated cheese at the end its just a thing in my house. Just love the dish

    Reply
    • Italian Recipe Book says

      May 17, 2021 at 10:57 pm

      Wow, I didn't think that in addition to all other life situations where spaghetti aglio e olio fits perfectly it, in fact, can be a great filler or primo, especilly if followed by a more substantial main course. Thanks Licia for sharing this!

      Reply
  4. Haz3nMommie says

    May 16, 2021 at 12:59 pm

    Really great! Thank you for sharing the recipe, and the history with us!

    Reply
    • Italian Recipe Book says

      May 17, 2021 at 10:52 pm

      Thank you, I'm happy you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  5. Merle Mosse says

    May 14, 2021 at 4:02 am

    Delicious thank you for this excellent recipe and all the other recipesbyou have posted

    Reply
    • Italian Recipe Book says

      May 15, 2021 at 1:22 pm

      Thank YOU Merle for sticking and cooking along, I'm happy you enjoy 🙂

      Reply
  6. John Parry says

    May 14, 2021 at 3:38 am

    I Make this Pasta all the time. It's a sure fire hit and so easy to make. Some times I add chopped Clams and Shrimp.

    Reply
    • Italian Recipe Book says

      May 15, 2021 at 1:21 pm

      Thanks John! I agree, you can make it as simple as is or make add a special twist every time you cake. Some people joke that spaghetti aglio e olio is spaghetti pasta with clams but without clams 😀 because technically they share all the same ingredients 🙂

      Reply

Buongiorno e benvenuti! In my small Italian kitchen I use simple, mostly seasonal ingredients and turn them into mouth-watering meals. Join me as I share the magic of Italian home cooking and teach you how you can do it in your own kitchen.

More about me →

No Bake Desserts

  • Panna cotta on a dessert plate with a strawberry on the side.
    Panna Cotta (Classic Recipe and 3 Different Toppings)
  • Strawberry Tiramisu.
    Strawberry Tiramisu (Eggless and Without Coffee)
  • Individual Tiramisu Cups {Easy & Delicious!}
    Tiramisu Cups
  • Italian fruit salad in a bowl garnished with mint leaves.
    Italian Fruit Salad (Macedonia Di Frutta)

Popular Recipes

  • Three Limoncello bottles with two lemons in the background.
    Limoncello (Recipe, Calculations & FAQs)
  • Semolina bread loaves in bread basket.
    Semolina Bread (Easy & Delicious)
  • Panini bread rolls in a basket.
    Italian Panini Bread
  • Traditional Focaccia Bread {Focaccia Genovese}

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Keep in touch!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 Italian Recipe Book

353 shares

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.