Spaghetti Aglio, Olio E Peperoncino | One Pot One Portion
Cooking for one is hard, so let me introduce you to my 15 minute, one pot one portion spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino. Now I love a more intricate, perhaps slightly more nutritionally balanced dinner but sometimes you just need to slurp up a bowl of spaghetti with very little else. It’s food for the soul! And a well fed soul is a happy soul. This one pot version of a classic Italian pasta recipe may get me permanently banned from the country but I’ll live semi- happily knowing I have just one pot to wash up and a super quick weeknight dinner on hand whenever I need a bit of comfort.
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Spaghetti Aglio Olio E Peperoncini
This recipe is the ultimate weeknight meal for the soul! It takes just 15 minutes, needs only one pot and will make your soul HAPPY! If you haven't tried this classic Italian pasta recipe yet then I strongly encourage you to do so. Spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino is exactly what it says on the tin: spaghetti, garlic, oil and chilli! Plus a little bit of fresh parsley, just because.
If you like this recipe you might want to take a look at some of my other single-serve one pot pasta recipes like my Creamy Chicken and Chorizo Orzo, my Herby Chicken Meatball Brothy Pasta, my Toasted Corn & Coconut Mac and Cheese, my Tomato Tamarind Pasta with Chickpeas & Crispy Garlic and my Broccoli, Cheddar Mac and Cheese.
You're Going to Love This:
15 minute meal
This recipe only takes about 15 minutes. This is a 15 minute hob meal so you don't need to turn the oven on.
One Pot Recipe
As with all of my recipes, this is a one pot dish or one pan dish, which makes every meal time easier and more enjoyable, especially when cooking for one. Lucky for you, all my recipes are made in one pot and you can find them all here.
Single-Serve Recipe
Again, these are single serve recipes so you can make this just for yourself! Though it would be very easy to scale up to serve multiple people if needed. Again, if you like one portion recipes then you'll love every single other recipe on my site!
Ingredients and Tools
Spaghetti
- One of the best pasta shapes if you ask me, spaghetti is perfect for aglio, olio e peperoncino because the silky sauce created from the pasta starch, water and oil clings to the pasta perfectly. Use linguine if you're feeling rebellious!
Aglio: Garlic
-
Olio: Olive Oil
- Olive oil is crucial for this dish so don't be stingy! Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil as this will have a much better flavour. As the pasta cooks the starch will mix with the oils and the water to create a silky sauce. Then finish with an extra drizzle of olive oil when serving!
Peperoncino: Chilli Flakes
- A little bit of spice! You can add as much or as little as you like, or use fresh chilli if you don't have chili flakes.
Fresh Parsley
- Not always included in the traditional recipe but parsley adds a bit of freshness and brightness to this pasta dish.
Step by step instructions
Add the olive oil to a pan that's large enough to fit spaghetti in. Heat over a medium heat then add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes until it just slightly starts to turn golden. Add the chilli flakes and cook for another minute or 2, making sure the garlic doesn't turn too brown or burnt.
Add the water to the pan along with the spaghetti and add a pinch of salt. Keep mixing it to start with to ensure the spaghetti is submerged in the water as evenly as possible, then let it bubble away on a medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes until the spaghetti is al dente. You may need to add more water depending on the size of your pan (and the heat it's on) so keep an eye on it- when the spaghetti is al dente you still want there to be enough water to create a silky sauce with the pasta starch and you don't want it too dry! If there's too much water just turn up the heat and let it bubble away for a minute or too more.
Stir through the fresh parsley then serve up with an extra drizzle of olive oil and enjoy!
Variations, substitutions or modifications
Gluten-Free: To make this recipe gluten free simply use gluten free spaghetti
Vegetarian: This recipe is already vegetarian!
Dairy-Free: To recipe is already vegan!
FAQs
Does this pasta have a sauce?
- In spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino the silky sauce is created from the pasta starch, water and oil!
What is aglio, olio e peperoncino?
- Aglio means garlic, olio means oil and peperoncino means chilli- this pasta is just that!
Can I make a double portion?
- You can easily double up this single-serve recipe just by doubling the ingredients.
If you like this recipe you might want to take a look at some of my other single-serve one pot pasta recipes like my Creamy Chicken and Chorizo Orzo, my Herby Chicken Meatball Brothy Pasta, my Toasted Corn & Coconut Mac and Cheese, my Tomato Tamarind Pasta with Chickpeas & Crispy Garlic and my Broccoli, Cheddar Mac and Cheese.
Ingredients
To serve one, you need:
- 1 1/2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Cloves of Garlic, finely sliced
- 1/4-1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes, depending on how spicy you like it
- 100-125g Dried Spaghetti
- 500ml water
- 5g Fresh Parsley
- Flaky Salt
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a pan that's large enough to fit spaghetti in. Heat over a medium heat then add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes until it just slightly starts to turn golden.
- Add the chilli flakes and cook for another minute or 2, making sure the garlic doesn't turn too brown or burnt.
- Add the water to the pan along with the spaghetti and add a pinch of salt.
- Keep mixing it to start with to ensure the spaghetti is submerged in the water as evenly as possible, then let it bubble away on a medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes until the spaghetti is al dente. You may need to add more water depending on the size of your pan (and the heat it's on) so keep an eye on it- when the spaghetti is al dente you still want there to be enough water to create a silky sauce with the pasta starch and you don't want it too dry! If there's too much water just turn up the heat and let it bubble away for a minute or too more.
- Stir through the fresh parsley then serve up with an extra drizzle of olive oil and enjoy!
More Recipes like this!
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Meal Plans & More...
Subscribe to my newsletter for weekly meal plans, for one! I select 5 one pot one portion recipes that use similar ingredients and include your shopping list plus recipe notes, ingredient swaps and tips and tricks for using up leftovers. Take a look at the first one here...
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In a way, this linguine changed my life. It was the first recipe in the series to take off on social media, bringing new people and new opportunities into my life. It’s an exceptionally simple recipe that uses the same water to cook both the pasta and the vegetables, which you then use to create a velvety, carbonara-esque sauce with the cheese and egg. I’ve retested this and tweaked it since its original conception and, though I can’t promise it will change your life, I can promise it will be delicious.
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Prawn & Mango Salad
The perfect fresh, but still flavourful, summer salad! This is a beautiful fragrant salad with a creamy, zingy coconut milk dressing. With just a little bit of chopping and a minute of whisking, you’ve got a gorgeous summer lunch, perfect for working from home, taking lunch to the office or a sunny meal in the garden this weekend.
Some big praise!
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"One Pot One Portion is, to borrow from The Parent Trap “a brilliant beyond brilliant idea”…I know many feel that it’s too much bother to cook ‘just’ for themselves — a sad admission, I feel — and to those people, and many others besides, I say: get this book and prove yourself liberatingly wrong!…Thank goodness for books! And thank goodness for Eleanor Wilkinson, a young talent to lift the spirits…There are so many people who could benefit from this book…this book is a boon and a blessing"
"A genius approach to bringing joy to every meal, Eleanor gets that good food is the best form of self-love."
I buy a lot of cook books and this is genuinely one of the best l've ever bought. I've tried 6 or 7 recipes so far and they're all winners. I'm well used to scaling recipes down to one portion, but not having to calculate measurements as l go along feels like a little luxury. One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up! Highly recommended.
I have been following Eleanor on IG for a while and have made several of her dishes before the cookbook came out. I was thrilled to see so many new things to try and have already made about 6 of them. Her recipes are approachable, the dishes are delicious, and they make me feel like I can cook! Highly recommend.
If you love eating good home cooked food but can't be bothered to cook just for yourself, then this is the book for you. Using ingredients that are easy to find, then mixing, cooking and eating from the same pan or dish means a minimum of washing up. Every recipe I have tried so far has been delicious and have all turned out well which isn't always the case with many cookery books. Definitely recommend!
Following Eleanor on Instagram and seeing her recipes come to life is one thing but then having them in my own kitchen is quite another. Not only are the recipes easy to follow and delicious she also help you not to waste food. This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?
Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This is perfect, as far as influencer chefs go, I find this book refreshing in what has become a cohort of lauded influencers who really aren't doing much more than the bog standard meals most people make anyway, or making googled recipes and adding their own "flair". This book is different as it's your normal fare you'd likely make yourself, given a little bit of a twist to speed up the process / use less utensils / ingredients / food waste, in really creative and tasty ways, all perfectly portioned for one.
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This recipe book is stunning and fulfils its role brilliantly in catering for individuals who want to eat delicious meals, but don't want to prepare family sized portions or devote their entire evening to cooking. Who'd believe you could make an entire roast for one person and only use one pan in the process! She is a genius and I couldn't recommend this book any more highly.
One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up!
This is the book I've been waiting for! I (very happily!) live alone, love to cook and read cookery books, but every recipe is for two people or more. This gorgeous book contains recipes perfectly proportioned for one person (and I'm always a very hungry one person!) which ensures more variety, less food waste, and pure, gluttonous joy.
It's so nice to finally have a recipe book that I can go to if I want a quick easy meal with minimal cleaning up required! Everything l've tried so far is delicious. And I salivate at the thought of everything in there!
Totally reignited my cooking mojo which had been MIA for a while. I'm going to buy my daughter a copy to take back to Uni too as everything is simple and delicious - perfect for a student!
Best cookbook for somebody single!
The fact I know I won't have loads to wash up really feels motivating and l've earmarked so many of the recipes already.
This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?