Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Serves 4
This pasta aglio e olio recipe is the ultimate weeknight meal! It comes together in 20 minutes, it uses simple ingredients, and it's absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- ½ to 1 cup pasta water
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 large bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Parmesan or Vegan Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions, cooking until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the garlic is lightly browned around the edges. Add the kale, salt, and several grinds of pepper and cook, tossing with tongs, until the kale is wilted, up to 1 minute.
- Add the spaghetti and toss to combine. Add ½ cup pasta water and the lemon juice and zest and toss. If the pasta is seeming too dry, add the remaining ½ cup pasta water to create a light sauce.
- Season to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve with Parmesan or vegan Parmesan.