Midnight Pasta Aglio e Olio

Midnight Pasta Aglio e Olio

15min Serves 1 Quick

Hunger at midnight is different. It's honest. No pretence. The kitchen is yours alone. Just the sound of boiling water and garlic sizzling in oil.

Aglio e olio is what you make when nothing else will do. Six ingredients. One pan. The dish that Italian grandmothers have made for centuries when the cupboard looks bare but dinner still needs to happen.

The magic is in the emulsion. When you toss pasta in garlicky oil with pasta water, starch binds with fat. Chemistry disguised as cooking. The sauce clings to every strand. It's simple until it's perfect.

Ingredients

  • 200g spaghetti
  • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 80ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp red chilli flakes
  • Flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmesan (optional)

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil. The water should taste like the sea. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, 8-9 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
  2. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add sliced garlic and cook gently, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant — 2-3 minutes. Burnt garlic is bitter. Don't rush this.
  3. Add chilli flakes to the oil and stir for 30 seconds. The oil should shimmer and smell incredible. Turn off the heat.
  4. Add drained pasta directly to the pan with the garlic oil. Add half a cup of pasta water. Turn heat to medium and toss vigorously for 2 minutes. The pasta water emulsifies with the oil, creating a silky sauce.
  5. Add more pasta water if it looks dry. The pasta should be glossy and coated, not swimming in oil. Toss in parsley and season generously with black pepper.
  6. Serve immediately in a warm bowl. Grate parmesan over the top if using. Eat while standing at the kitchen counter. This is midnight food. There are no rules.

Nutrition

Nutrient Per Serving
Energy 720 kcal
Protein 18g
Carbohydrates 82g
Fat 34g
Saturated Fat 5g
Fibre 4g
Sodium 12mg

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Comments

Sarah Chen
12 February 2026

Made this at 1am after a long shift. Exactly what I needed. The pasta water emulsion trick is brilliant — turns simple ingredients into something special. Used bucatini instead of spaghetti and it was perfect.

Marcus Webb
9 February 2026

This is now my go-to late night meal. I keep the ingredients stocked at all times. One tip: toast the chilli flakes in the oil for 10 seconds before adding the pasta — gives it a deeper, smokier flavour. Also, don't skip the parmesan.

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