Amazing Pasta Aglio e Olio | Pasta Water Game Changer

Aglio e Olio is one of Italy’s most iconic pasta dishes. It is traditionally made with just garlic, olive oil, and pasta water. It is the ultimate “midnight pasta” (spaghetti di mezzanotte). Quick, simple, and full of flavour.

I learned this beautiful layering technique from a chef who is a family friend in my village in Gavi. In this video, I share how I made it my own with a little twist. I added fresh chilli and flat-leaf parsley for brightness and gentle heat. The real secret is in the base flavour infusion.

💡 Watch how I begin with just one garlic clove with skin on, a slit chilli, and parsley stalks. These are gently infused and then removed before adding chopped garlic, fresh chilli, and parsley. This layering creates a depth of flavour that transforms simple ingredients into something memorable.

✨ The most important part is the pasta water. Italians never skip this step. It brings the sauce together, creates a silky texture, and makes all the difference in a dish with no cream, cheese, or butter.

Whether it is a midnight snack or a proper dinner, this is a pasta you can truly make your own. Just don’t skip the pasta water.

⸻

📝 Ingredients (Serves 2 hearty portions)

• 220g spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
  – 2 sliced
  – 1 whole (with skin on, for base note layering)
• 1 long red chilli
  – Half for base note
  – Half finely chopped
• A few parsley stalks (for base flavor)
• 1 spoonful salt (for pasta water)
• Water (to boil pasta)

⸻

For more simple and delicious recipes don’t forget to check out my channel
@NicolaRecipes

#aglioeolio #nicolarecipes #italiancuisine #pastarecipe #pastalovers #easyrecipes #budgetmeals #garlicpasta #veganrecipes #plantbased #spaghettiaglioolio #dinner #onepanmeal #italianrecipes

Pasta alua olio. Simple, classic, and totally flexible. You can make it your own, but one thing I always keep is pasta water. And today, I’ll show you why Italians never leave that out. You can keep it classic with just chopped garlic and olive oil, what Italians call the midnight pasta, but this version takes it to a whole new depth. Remember, make it your own, but please don’t skip the pasta water. Put a pot of water to boil. I’m using a little less water just to get a higher starch content. Now the classic way is just using garlic and olive oil. But today we going to have some flat leaf parsley and chili. I learned this technique from a chef who’s a family friend at a tratory from our village in Gavi. And it’s all about the layering that made this dish really really wonderful. I hope you try this method and see how you like it. Here I have three cloves of garlic. One clove. We are just going to smash it a little and leave the skin on. This is going to be for the layering. And the other two just chop them finely. And as for the chili, half the chili I’m just going to slit a little in the center. I’m going to keep the seeds on, but if you want to, you can remove them. The other half I’m just going to chop them up. And as for the parsley, remove the leaves and keep the stock. The stock is going to be used for layering. When your water is boiling, add 1 tbsp of salt. Then go in with your pasta. I’m using 220 g, a good serving for two people. Just make sure to cook them all evenly at the same time. Now to your pan, add in four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the clove of garlic with the skin on, half the chili that we slit, and the parsley stocks. We’re going to gently infuse this on medium heat for roughly about 2 and 1/2 to 3 minutes. This is a very simple step, but it builds a very good foundation for flavor. It will start to release a beautiful aroma. Now, when it’s ready, just remove them. Turn the heat to very low. Leave it for 30 seconds to cool. Then, go in with one cup of pasta water. Going in with chopped garlic. Now, this is where the magic starts. This is a very important step. And it in Italy, pasta water is known as liquid gold. The starch from the pasta water together with the oil is what’s going to create a very beautiful imulsion. Continue to stir to emulsify. And this is what’s going to create a beautiful sauce that binds together with the pasta. If you don’t add pasta water, what you’re going to get is basically just noodles with oil. The sauce won’t cling and everything stays separate. It’s just science, I guess, where the nonas and chef knew instinctively back then. It’s the starch in the water that transforms everything. Now, I’m cooking my pasta 2 minutes under in the water and bringing it directly to the pan. Add pasta water as needed to make sure everything doesn’t go dry. And the balance 2 minutes, just continue to emulsify and stir them in the pan. Now the final 20 30 seconds. Go in with your chopped chili and chopped parsley. Mix, bind them together. Notice the thick sauce that it’s created. That’s going to cling to the pasta and that’s exactly what we want. Serve and add that little bit of that beautiful sauce left over. Garnish with extra parsley if preferred. Now, that’s exactly why Italians never skip pasta water. It’s not just tradition, it’s technique. It binds, it balances, and brings everything together in the most beautiful way. Enjoy your delicious pasta, and I’ll see you again on the next one.