Aglio e Olio

Aglio e olio means exactly what it says: garlic and oil. It started in Naples as cucina povera, cooking built from whatever was left in the pantry at the end of a long week. Neapolitan families traditionally made a pot of it late at night, after returning from Christmas Eve mass, when meat was off the table and something quick and warm was needed before bed. Centuries later it has barely changed, because a dish built on two good ingredients never really needed improving.

We build ours on Wilson’s Garlic Flavoured Oil, which carries a rounded, already-cooked garlic character straight from the bottle. A few slivers of fresh garlic go in too, for the sharper bite only raw garlic gives, but the oil does most of the talking. Together they turn four pantry ingredients into something that tastes like it took far longer than twenty minutes.

This aglio e olio is the pasta worth clearing a Sunday night for, ahead of World Pasta Day on 25 October. Below is the full recipe, our tips for keeping the garlic from turning bitter, and a few ways to change it up.

We Use Garlic Flavoured Oil

Our Wilson’s Garlic Flavoured Oil is the base of the sauce, not an add-on. Warmed gently in the pan, it brings garlic flavour into the oil itself before a single raw clove goes anywhere near real heat, which means far less risk of anything catching and turning bitter.

A small handful of fresh garlic still goes in for brightness, but because the oil is already carrying flavour, it only needs a minute or two in the pan rather than the longer, riskier cook raw garlic alone would need to taste the same. Chilli flakes and parsley lift into that base once the pan comes off the heat.

It is the same logic behind the dish’s own name. Garlic and oil do the whole job between them, with a splash of starchy pasta water the only thing holding the sauce together.

Our Tips

Reserve more pasta water than you think you need — it’s the only thing binding oil and starch into a sauce that clings instead of pooling.

Slice the garlic, don’t mince it — thin slices turn gently golden in the oil, where a fine mince burns in seconds.

Keep the heat low while the oil infuses — a gentle sizzle is enough; a hard fry turns the garlic bitter before the pasta is even drained.

Toss off the heat — pull the pan away from the stove before the pasta goes in, so the oil and water come together instead of splitting.

Add the chilli early, the parsley late — chilli flakes want time in the warm oil, parsley just needs to wilt in at the very end.

How We Serve It

We serve it straight from the pan into warm bowls, with extra parmesan and a final scatter of parsley at the table. It does not need much else.

A simple green salad with a squeeze of lemon is the only thing we would add, something sharp to cut through the oil. Good crusty bread on the side mops up whatever is left in the bowl.

It also works cold the next day, tossed with a little extra oil to loosen it back up.

More Ways to Use Garlic Flavoured Oil

Once you’ve got a bottle of Wilson’s Garlic Flavoured Oil in the kitchen, this aglio e olio is just the start.

Garlic bread — our vegan garlic bread uses it in place of butter for flavour that soaks all the way through.

Pizza night — brushed over dough before the cheese goes on, it’s the whole point of our garlic and mozzarella pizza.

On the braai — it’s part of the basting butter in our snoek with paprika garlic butter, brushed over the skin before it hits the grid.

Roast potatoes — tossed through before roasting, it adds a rounded garlic flavour without any risk of burning.

Bread dipping — poured into a shallow dish with black pepper, it’s dinner-table ready in seconds.

The Good Stuff About Garlic Flavoured Oil

Flavoured oils like this one work by infusing garlic character into an oil base, rather than relying on raw or fried garlic to carry the flavour on the day. That means a more consistent, rounded garlic taste every time, and none of the risk of burnt garlic turning a dish bitter. Built on a canola-olive oil blend, it also handles pan heat comfortably without smoking.

Ways to Change It Up

Add anchovies — a couple stirred into the oil as it warms melt away into the sauce, adding savoury depth rather than any fishy taste.

Stir through blanched broccoli — added with the pasta water, it turns this into more of a full meal.

Swap the chilli flakes for fresh chilli — a finely sliced chilli added with the garlic gives a brighter, sharper heat.

Finish with lemon zest — a little grated zest stirred through at the end lifts the whole dish.

Add toasted breadcrumbs — scattered on top just before serving, they bring crunch where parmesan usually would.

Questions You Might Have About Aglio e Olio