Garlic Pasta With Parmesan And Olive Oil Wellplated Com

I often fall for the easy logic that more is more. Why own one good black dress when you can have two, or a single set of wine glasses where there’s space for three? I also have somehow acquired more pairs of boots (my greatest shopping weakness) than anyone with just two feet should ever reasonably own at one time. Therefore, you would think that more is more logic would also apply to cooking—isn’t a dish with more ingredients inherently better than a dish with fewer? This simple garlic pasta recipe is a reminder that, in some cases, less truly is more. Isn’t that the best news? This recipe is my personal twist on the classic Italian spaghetti aglio e olio, a simple but soul-satisfying Italian dish of garlic (aglio), olive oil (olio), parsley, and Parmesan cheese tossed with cooked pasta. Whenever you have a dish that celebrates simplicity, like this one, there are a few simple rules to follow to maximize flavor:

Choose quality ingredients. With few ingredients in garlic pasta, each (pasta, olive oil, and Parmesan) is important. Don’t skimp—it makes a difference. Fresh is best. In many recipes (like this Ricotta Pasta), dried herbs and garlic powder can often be used interchangeably with fresh. In this garlic pasta recipe, that’s not the case. Always opt for fresh garlic and fresh parsley.Look for ways to enhance the natural qualities of each ingredient. With this dish, that means roasting the garlic—which somehow both amplifies and mellows the flavor of raw garlic (MAGIC!).

How to Make Garlic Pasta

If you’ve ever wondered, what can I put on pasta when I have no sauce? Here’s my trick for quick roasted garlic—it’s the secret to this pasta’s speed and its intense flavor:

Peel and separate the cloves.Toss the cloves with a bit of olive oil.Pop them in a high-heat oven.And, BOOM! Lovely, rich roasted garlic, ready in 15 minutes flat.

These four main ingredients—fresh garlic, olive oil, Parmesan, and spaghetti noodles—are your answer for creating an extraordinarily flavorful garlic pasta sauce, lacking in nothing and satisfying everything pasta-loving hearts desire.

The Ingredients

Pasta. My favorite pasta for this recipe is whole wheat spaghetti but any variety of long-cut pasta (e.g. fettuccine, linguine, angel hair pasta, etc.) works great here.

Olive Oil. When choosing olive oil for this dish, select an extra virgin olive oil that you would enjoy dipping bread into versus one you might simply sauté veggies with. Again, with few ingredients here, quality matters.Garlic. The reason behind the garlic pasta name. This humble ingredient is a powerhouse in the flavor department.

Parmesan Cheese. Stop. Drop the shredded cheese in a bag or sawdust-looking stuff in the green can. Grab a block of good Parmesan and grate it by hand. It’s a MUST.

Parsley. Add a blast of herbaceous freshness to this simple Italian aglio e olio garlic pasta.Red Pepper Flakes. Bring a touch of heat that complements the bite of the garlic and cuts through the creamy parmesan cheese.

The Directions

Storage Tips

To Store. Leftovers may be stored in a container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 5 days.To Reheat. To reheat, warm in a nonstick skillet, covered, over medium-low heat with a splash of water. Once the pasta starts steaming, uncover, and toss until heated through. Alternatively, you may also warm in the microwave with a splash of water to rehydrate the pasta, covered, until steaming.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Pasta Pot. For boiling oodles of al dente noodles.Food Processor. Makes pulsing the garlic and cheese together, a breeze.Baking Dish. For roasting aromatic cloves of tasty garlic.

Think salty like the sea. It’s hard to overdo it.

Garlic Pasta with Seafood (Serve with Baked Salmon in Foil or try Garlic Shrimp Pasta).Garlic Pasta with Chicken (Try topping with a Grilled Chicken Breast for some protein).Garlic Pasta with Broccoli (adding some Roasted Broccoli would be heaven)!Garlic Pasta with Tomatoes (Stir in some skillet-burst cherry tomatoes for tomato garlic pasta). Lemon Garlic Pasta (add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice).