Pasta, garlic, and olive oil—what’s not to love? I was pondering what to make for dinner one cold, snowy night last winter, when I decided to turn to an Italian cookbook I inherited from my grandmother. I have pasta for supper every night so, naturally, I opened up to the primi section in the cookbook: the section dedicated to Italian pasta and rice dishes. It was then that I came upon this spaghetti aglio e oglio recipe.
Spaghetti aglio e olio means spaghetti [with] garlic and oil. It’s a traditional Italian dish, and beloved by many because of it’s simplicity and combination of inexpensive, readily available ingredients! Plus, this dish is packed with flavor. The garlic is powerful yet not overwhelming, and it has just the right amount of oil.
Although traditionally used as the primi course in Italy—the traditional Italian pasta or rice course where the main course begins but does not end—this recipe can also be used as a main course, which is what I like to do. Generally, primi courses do not contain meat or seafood, and the meat and seafood dishes are served in the secondi course—the course that comes after primi. However, since I use this dish as my main dinner course, I add Italian sausage into my spaghetti aglio e olio to make sure I get protein in my meal.
If you’re a non-meat eater, don’t worry: you can simply omit the sausage and still make a delicious pasta dish using the directions below! Whatever you decide, you won’t be disappointed. You can also serve this with a nice garden or Caesar salad, Italian bread, Ciabatta bread, or garlic bread. Feel free to pair with a nice glass of vino, too!
Intrigued? You should be. Keep scrolling to learn the full recipe and try it out for yourself.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio With Italian Sausage
RECIPE TYPE:
Primi (Italian pasta course); Main Course
YIELDS:
4 servings
DIETARY INFO:
Dairy-Free; Can Be Gluten-Free (use gluten-free spaghetti); Can be Vegetarian (omit sausage)
PREP TIME:
5 minutes
COOK TIME:
30 minutes
TOTAL TIME:
35 minutes
Ingredients:
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- 1 lb/450 g uncooked spaghetti
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 tbs fresh chopped parsley
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 2 links sweet Italian sausage, thawed
- 2 links hot Italian sausage, thawed
Instructions:
HOW-TO:
- Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit, and place aluminum foil over oven-safe baking sheet. Place thawed sausage links on top. Once oven is preheated, put sausage in, and set timer for 30 minutes. When there’s about 17 minutes remaining, pour water into large pot and add plenty of salt and a small drop of olive oil into water. Place over high heat on stove and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add in spaghetti, and cook according to instructions for least amount of time so pasta comes out al dente; tender but still firm to the bite.
- Meanwhile, heat up olive oil and a pinch of salt in large skillet over low heat. Once pan has heated up, add in garlic cloves, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Make sure garlic is only a golden color—if it is brown, it will taste bitter! Remove from heat. You should be finishing this up as your pasta is just about done. Once pasta is done cooking, remove from heat and drain well immediately.
- Remove sausage from oven, and cut into circular pieces.
- Pour pasta into large bowl, then add in crumbled sausage, followed by olive oil and garlic. Add in parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well and serve immediately.
Print Recipe or Pin for Later:
Recipes: Spaghetti Aglio e Oglio With Italian Sausage
Course: Primi, MainCuisine: Italian4
servings5
minutes30
minutes35
minutesThis traditional Italian pasta dish is perfect for any night of the week, and is made from the most basic ingredients! Serve alone or with a nice garden or Caesar salad, fresh Italian bread, or garlic bread! For a vegetarian option, simply omit the sausage. To make gluten-free, use gluten-free spaghetti.
Ingredients
1 lb/450 g uncooked spaghetti
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbs freshly chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 links sweet Italian sausage, thawed
2 links hot Italian sausage, thawed
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit, and place aluminum foil over oven-safe baking sheet. Place thawed sausage links on top. Once oven is preheated, put sausage in, and set timer for 30 minutes. When there’s about 17 minutes remaining, pour water into large pot and add plenty of salt and a small drop of olive oil into water. Place over high heat on stove and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add in spaghetti, and cook according to instructions for least amount of time so pasta comes out al dente; tender but still firm to the bite.
- Meanwhile, heat up olive oil and a pinch of salt in large skillet over low heat. Once pan has heated up, add in garlic cloves, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Make sure garlic is only a golden color—if it is brown, it will taste bitter! Remove from heat. You should be finishing this up as your pasta is just about done. Once pasta is done cooking, remove from heat and drain well immediately.
- Remove sausage from oven, and cut into circular pieces that almost look like a crumble.
- Pour pasta into large bowl, then add in crumbled sausage, followed by olive oil and garlic. Add in parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well and serve immediately.
