This spaghetti aglio e olio with fresh tomatoes and basil is a quick, affordable dinner to serve on busy weeknights. If you have a few extra minutes (and garlic cloves) on your hands add some homemade garlic bread, you’ll be happy you did.
Aglio e olio recipes are great for getting you out of the “what’s for dinner?” jam. Especially when funds are a little low. A basic aglio e olio recipe is made with oil, garlic, a little seasoning (like salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, etc.) and pasta. That’s it. But you can pair that with extras like this spaghetti aglio e olio with Italian sausage.
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Ingredients
- Pasta – We go with spaghetti here, but really any noodle or tube pasta will work. Linguine, fettuccine, rigatoni are all good options. Go with what you have on hand if you need to.
- Oil – Use a good extra virgin olive oil
- Tomatoes – Grape or cherry tomatoes work, I choose whatever small tomato is on sale.
- Garlic – This recipe calls for 5-6 large garlic cloves. Add in a couple extra if what you have are on the smallish side.
- Seasoning – Keeping it simple with salt (we use kosher salt), black pepper and crushed red pepper. The crushed red pepper is going to add a kick, so leave it out if you don’t like spicy.
- Basil – We use fresh sweet basil, but you can use what you have available. Wait until the last minute to cut it into ribbons so it doesn’t bruise and turn a brownish color.
A note about buying basil: Try buying a basil plant instead of a container at the market. I’m not much of a gardener and I live in South Florida where the heat and humidity make it hard to grow anything. Except basil, it does pretty well (as long as you water it and keep it pest free). I even keep some on a sunny windowsill. The plant costs about as much as the container and I get a few uses out of it (at least). Give it a try, maybe you’ll discover you have a green thumb.
Recipe tips
- Always cook garlic gently over moderate to moderate-low heat and stir frequently. Don’t leave the garlic unattended. It burns easily and if it does, it becomes bitter and pretty much inedible.
- To chiffonade the basil, stack the leaves, one on top of the other. Roll them lengthwise and then make thin slices widthwise. You’ll end up with thin ribbons.
- Wait until right before using to cut the basil because the edges brown quickly. That way it will look nice and fresh when it’s served.
- Cook the spaghetti in a large pot with plenty of water to prevent sticking and uneven cooking. Stir it frequently as it gets going to separate the noodles.
- Salt the pasta water generously, usually 1-2 tablespoons. Add it in after the water is boiling before adding the pasta.
- Don’t rely solely on the time on the package when cooking pasta. Test it a couple of minutes before and gauge the remaining time.
- When cooking pasta reserve a cup of the cooking water before draining. You can use some of the cooking water to make the noodles slippery if they get sticky and start to dry out while you finish everything up.
Instructions
Start the pasta in a large pot of boiling water and cook to package directions for al dente. Remember to salt the pasta water.
While the spaghetti cooks heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. When the olive oil is hot, but not too hot, add the tomatoes, garlic, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper (if using). Stir well.
Cook the garlic and tomatoes for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, almost constantly to make sure the garlic does not burn. Be careful when the tomatoes split, they could squirt hot liquid.
Take the skillet off the heat and place it on a cold burner or trivet so that the residual heat on the burner doesn’t keep cooking the garlic and burn it.
Add the pasta to the garlic oil and tomatoes. Toss well to make sure it’s completely coated with the oil.
Taste the pasta, add salt if needed. As a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours. Toss well.
Right before serving the pasta, cut the basil into ribbons.
Serve the spaghetti aglio e olio with the tomatoes and top with about a tablespoon of the basil ribbons. Garnish with parmesan cheese and extra crushed red pepper, if desired.
You may also like:
- Pasta with Vodka Sauce
- Sausage Rigatoni
- Baked Ziti with Sausage
- Italian Sausage Spaghetti
- Chicken Tomato Pasta
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Spaghetti cooked to package directions for al dente (or use your favorite noodle)
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 10-12 ounces Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
- 5-6 Large Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon Salt plus 1-2 tablespoons extra for the pasta water
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper plus extra for garnish, if desired (leave it out if you don’t like spicy)
- 6-8 Basil Leaves chiffonade (cut into ribbons)
- Grated Parmesan Cheese for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Start a large pot of water over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water, 1-2 tablespoons should do it. Cook the spaghetti to package directions for al dente.
While the spaghetti cooks
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. When the olive oil is hot, but nowhere near smoking, add the tomatoes, garlic, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper (if using). Stir to coat the ingredients.
- Cook the garlic and tomatoes for 2-3 minutes until the garlic softens and some of tomatoes start to split. stir frequently, almost constantly to make sure the garlic does not burn. Be careful when the tomatoes split, they could squirt hot liquid.
- Take the skillet off the heat and place it on a cold burner or trivet so that the residual heat on the burner doesn’t keep cooking the garlic and burn it.
- When the pasta is al dente, reserve at least one cup of the cooking water, then drain it well. You can use the cooking water to make the noodles slippery if they get sticky and start to dry out while you finish everything up.
- Add the pasta to the garlic oil and tomatoes. Toss well to make sure it’s completely coated with the oil.
- Taste the pasta, add salt if needed. As a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours. Toss well.
- Right before serving the pasta, cut the basil into ribbons. Serve the spaghetti with the tomatoes and top with about a tablespoon of the basil ribbons. Garnish with parmesan cheese and extra crushed red pepper, if desired.
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