Tagliatelle Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino
Tagliatelle Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino, or Tagliatelle with Garlic, Oil and Chilli, is an Italian classic. As the name suggests, the pasta is coated in a delicious garlic, olive oil and chilli sauce mixed with some chopped fresh parsley. Added cheese is optional. Fast food at its best, it is a speedy, delicious pasta dish, which is on the table in 15 minutes from start to finish and uses store cupboard ingredients.
Like the Cacio e Pepe I posted a few days ago, this is another recipe in a series I am posting which are incredibly delicious but very quick to make; ideal for Emma to cook for herself at university or for Charlotte to whip up when she rushes home from work before going on to her next engagement, be it further work, the gym or a night out. As such the quantities in the recipe below are for 1 person, but it can be very quickly scaled up for a family. (See Recipe Notes.)
Spaghetti or Tagliatelle?
Typically served with spaghetti, Emma prefers it with tagliatelle, hence the tagliatelle in the photographs. Both are delicious.
Cheese or no cheese?
Some would argue that traditionally, it shouldn’t be served with cheese – the girls and I always have it with cheese, either Pecorino Romano or Parmesan. Your choice; I think the cheese really adds to the dish. Andrew would heartily disagree, but it is up to you.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, or Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil, is a very similar dish but without the chillis – ideal if you are not a fan of heat. Make it in exactly the same way, but without the chilli.
Fresh or Dried Chillis?
You can use chopped fresh red chillis or dried chilli flakes – both are added to taste and cooked in the same way. I have chosen dried – they are quicker, the girls always have them available and I know exactly how much to add.
Anchovies or not?
A chopped anchovy added to the sauce is a delicious addition to this pasta dish. For ease and simplicity, I have chosen not to add it – your choice. Obviously, do not add anchovy if cooking a vegetarian dish.
Cooking method
We made this pasta all in one pan, the same way we made Cacio e Pepe. We slightly adapted a cooking method recommended by @hopelessdadinthekitchen. Mario said to to cook the pasta ‘risottata’; this means to add the water in increments like you would broth in a risotto. By not discarding the water you are creating a wonderful sheen and creamy sauce. We made it this way but I confess we added all the water at once. To compensate, we did stir the pasta from time to time as it cooks, as you would for a risotto, and we used only the water needed to cook the pasta and no more. It may not be traditional, but it was very easy and jolly good!
How to make Tagliatelle Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino
Collect all the ingredients together:
- olive oil
- crushed garlic
- freshly ground black pepper
- red chilli flakes or chopped fresh red chilli
- chopped parsley
- pasta – traditionally spaghetti, I used tagliatelle
- boiling water
- fine salt, ideally sea salt
To finish and serve:
- grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (optional)
- green or mixed salad, on the side
Quickly cook:
- Heat the olive oil over a moderate to low heat, in a pan wide enough to take the spaghetti. Add the crushed garlic, chilli flakes or chopped fresh chilli and freshly ground black pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the pasta, boiling water and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook, without a lid, until the water has almost disappeared (just a couple of tablespoons left) and the pasta is cooked to al dente, around 10 minutes. Stir the pasta, from time to time, as it cooks. This helps to create a thicker sauce which will cling to the sides of the pasta. Please note:
- If the pasta is cooked, and there is too much liquid left, boil briskly to reduce quickly.
- If the water has disappeared and the pasta is not yet cooked, add a little more boiling water and cook until the pasta is ready.
- When the pasta is cooked to your liking, add the chopped parsley and mix thoroughly.
- Serve immediately with a delicious salad on the side. We enjoy it topped with grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese but this is optional.
Ingredients 
1 Cook oil, garlic, chilli and black pepper 
2 Add pasta, water and salt and cook 
Stir as it cooks. 
3 Add parsley .. 
.. and mix well
Made this recipe?
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Tagliatelle Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino
Tagliatelle Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino, or Tagliatelle with Garlic, Oil and Chilli, is an Italian classic. As the name suggests, the pasta is coated in a delicious garlic, olive oil and chilli sauce mixed with some chopped fresh parsley. Added cheese is optional.
Ingredients
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 4g/1 medium to large clove crushed garlic, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- red chilli flakes to taste. Around a pinch to ⅛ teaspoon per portion – see Recipe Notes
- 2g/1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 85g pasta – traditionally spaghetti, I used tagliatelle
- 280ml boiling water
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt, ideally sea salt
To finish and serve:
- grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (optional)
- green or mixed salad, on the side
Instructions
-
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
-
Heat the olive oil over a moderate to low heat, in a pan wide enough to take the spaghetti or tagliatelle. Add the crushed garlic, chilli flakes or chopped fresh chilli and freshly ground black pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
-
Add the pasta, boiling water and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook, without a lid, until the water has almost disappeared (just a couple of tablespoons left) and the pasta is cooked to al dente, around 9 – 10 minutes. Stir the pasta, from time to time, as it cooks. This helps to create a thicker sauce which will cling to the sides of the pasta. Please note:
– If the pasta is cooked, and there is too much liquid left, boil briskly to reduce quickly.
– If the water has disappeared and the pasta is not yet cooked, add a little more boiling water and cook until the pasta is ready.
-
When the pasta is cooked to your liking, add the chopped parsley and mix thoroughly.
-
Serve immediately with a delicious salad on the side. We enjoy it topped with grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese but this is optional.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- kitchen scales and measuring spoon
- wide pan
- garlic crusher
- grater
Chilli quantities:
This is entirely down to your personal taste and how hot you like to eat your food. Chillis also vary tremendously, so it will also depend on what sort of chilli you use. I use dried chilli flakes from a local Asian shop which are comparatively spicy. Charlotte likes ⅛ teaspoon per portion, Emma likes half that. Go easy the first time you make it, and increase it afterwards, if necessary. You can always sprinkle a little extra chilli on the pasta before you eat it, if you find you have not added enough.
Increasing the quantities:
This recipe will give you a small to medium sized portion. To increase the quantities you need to –
- weigh pasta
- multiply the weight of pasta by 3.25 to get the amount of water you need to add
- olive oil is roughly ¼ weight of the pasta – for 100g pasta use 25ml/1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons olive oil
- adjust garlic, chilli, pepper and salt to taste
For example if you are cooking 110g pasta –
- 110g pasta x 3.25 = 357ml rounded up to 360ml water
- olive oil would be 27.5ml or 1 tablespoon and 2½ teaspoons
- adjust garlic, chilli, pepper and salt to taste
