Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper Flakes

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: Straight from the Pantry

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (83)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(83)

Cook Time:
15 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
--

Times:

Prep: 10 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 15 min
Total:: 25 min

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Ingredients

1 pound dried spaghetti
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, plus more if desired
1/4 cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander, reserving 2 tablespoons of the pasta water. The reserved pasta water will help create the sauce. Do not rinse pasta with water -- you want to retain the pasta's natural starches so that the sauce will stick.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until light brown and fragrant. It's important not too burn the garlic or else it will become bitter. Remove and discard the browned garlic. Add the red pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute. Carefully add the reserved pasta water and stir to combine. Place the spaghetti into the pan and mix well for 1 minute.

Remove pan from heat and top with fresh herbs.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper Flakes
Joy Calgary, AB 09-13-2009
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Family Favorite
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is my 5 year old son's favourite meal. We serve it with chicken breasts. It is easy, light and tasty!
recipe Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper Flakes
R Irvine, CA 09-13-2009
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Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper Flakes
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Thank you for posting this recipe as I needed a basic that I could work with. Reading the reviews by others also... helped. Instead of spaghetti I used Rotelli pasta as it seems to hold the olive oil more in place. I also cut way back on the red pepper flakes since heartburn is a major factor here. Cut it to 1/4 teaspoon. Also I cut the Basil to just over 1/2 tablespoon and used crushed garlic (about two teaspoons) and left it in the mix. By doing this I got a well balanced flavor as too much basil can cancel out the garlic. Originally I did try straining out the lightly browned garlic but it was too bland in flavor and added more crushed garlic before adding the pasta. The use of two tablespoons of the pasta water worked like a dream. As a side note though, once you add it, you should remove the pan from the stove immediately and keep stirring. Had I left it on the stove as suggested in the recipe, it might have burned.Read more
recipe Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper Flakes
Susan Philadelphia, PA 06-05-2009
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My Recipe
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I have made this dish for years.....with rave reviews..... 1/2 cup olive oil, 5-6 minced garlic cloves, saute and add 2 cups... chicken bullion broth, 1/2 tea. garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tea. sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes add 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley, 1 tea. chopped basil and mint. Pour sauce over spaghetti and top with lots of grated parmesan cheese and welcome to Sicily..... :-) enjoy!!!!!Read more
recipe Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper Flakes
Diane Mississauga, ON 01-03-2009
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Absolutely Delicious!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

At first my husband wouldn't try this recipe with (so I ate it alone) as it was sauceless. Now it is one of our favorites,... we absolutely love this recipe. I have her cookbook Everyday Itailian which is where I first tried this recipe. I noticed yesterday when looking at the online recipe that it is different than in the cookbook. I think there are some typos online. The book has only 1 tsp of red pepper flakes (not 1 tbsp) and there are 5 garlic cloves. We also add some freshly grated parmesan when serving. A couple of times we have added some bite size pieces of broccoli to this dish as well. YUMMY!! This recipe is fast, easy and delicious!Read more
recipe Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper Flakes
Kary Mobile, AL 08-26-2008
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so so
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

It wasn't awful and it wasn't terribly good, but it was unbelievably HOT even after reducing the red pepper - and I do love... stuff hot. I was surprised to find that I did like the mint flavor in this dish. I will make it again as it is so quick and easy, but I'll use a little less oil, maybe 1 tsp of the pepper flakes and some salt.Read more
recipe Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper Flakes
Anonymous 07-17-2008
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Excellent
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is my favorite sauceless pasta. The fresh herbs with this pasta make one of the perfect comfort foods. It's also very... good for a health-conscious diet, and it is extremely easy to prepare.Read more