Sauce of the Day: Aglio e Olio Pasta Sauce

in Pasta

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I decided to go through my magazine collection with the goal of finding some yummy long lost recipes and getting rid of years worth of “I’ll cook that later” clutter. Cooking Light mags from 2001, a Martha mag from 1997… good grief!

The great part about the task was two-fold: most of those recipes are online so there’s no retyping anything and I can free up the closet/bookshelf space. Okay, three-fold: I could watch the playoffs, peek in on Giada on the Food Network, and “clean” all at the same time (Go Colts!).

Luckily, I located nearly all the recipes online. Thanks to my husband, I was able to import them into the recipe database he is designing for me with a quick copy & paste. Voila! Recipes are easy to locate, in electronic form, searchable by ingredient – and look at all that free space on the bookshelves!

Aglio e Olio, or garlic and oil, is a perfect marriage of simple flavors. Next to peanut butter and chocolate, it’s my favorite combination! I found this recipe in an old Better Homes and Gardens magazine this weekend and reduced the fat by half. This dish takes no time to prepare and is very flavorful. I paired it with some oven-roasted broccoli courtesy of Pinch My Salt and rosemary bread, courtesy of me 🙂

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz uncooked fettuccine
1/4 cup Pecorino-Romano cheese
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste

Cook the fettuccine according to package instructions.

In a sauce pan, cook the garlic and red pepper in oil over medium heat for 1 minute.

Add drained pasta to pan and toss.

Add cheese, parsley, and black pepper and toss to coat.

Add salt to taste

Serves 4. For variety, toss in 1 1/2 cup of the veggie of your choice, such as steamed asparagus cut into 3-inch long pieces.

9 comments… add one
  • This is a great meal that seems as though it won’t weigh you down – nice and light. I bet it would be great with whole wheat fettuccine as well. Thanks for this!

  • I must admit, I used the fact that it was so light to go back for a wee bit of seconds 🙂

  • This is a classic pasta dish that you can find on the menu at most restaurants throughout Italy. I like mine extra spicy 🙂 I might try Pebbles suggestion and use whole wheat pasta with this sauce sometime. I’m not a fan of whole wheat pasta but I try to rotate it in every once in a while! Thanks for the link to my broccoli!

  • Yum, yum! I’ve made this before, but I think I’ll have to try your variation. 🙂

  • Ugh- bad link above…

  • Tess

    Have you tried adding roasted red peppers to this Aglio? It’s something I’m thinking of trying, but it would be for a crowd. Good Idea? or not?

  • Tess – I can’t give you an unbiased opinion. I *love* roasted red peppers in just about everything! I’ve eaten it alone in pasta with oil so I think it would be just fine.

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