Homemade Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Casa de Fuego

August 24, 2026

Homemade Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Casa de Fuego

Spaghetti aglio e olio is proof that some of the simplest dishes require the most attention.

Pasta. Garlic. Extra-virgin olive oil. Parsley. Pasta water.

There is nowhere for poor technique to hide.

For this version, we're taking the dish back to the beginning by making the spaghetti completely from scratch. Fresh pasta is rolled and cut before being cooked quickly and tossed with gently golden garlic, good olive oil and starchy pasta water.

The final touch is Casa de Fuego, added immediately before serving.

If you're new to the idea of finishing a dish after cooking, our guide to what finishing salt is explains why this final seasoning has a different purpose from the salt used during cooking.

The result is simple food built around good ingredients and precise technique.

Ingredients

Serves 4

For the Fresh Spaghetti

400g Italian 00 flour
4 large eggs
Semolina or 00 flour, for dusting

For the Aglio e Olio

6 tablespoons good extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper, optional
Reserved pasta cooking water
Casa de Fuego finishing salt, to finish

Step 1: Make the Fresh Pasta Dough

Place the flour on a clean work surface and create a wide well in the center.

Crack the eggs into the well.

Using a fork, gently beat the eggs while gradually incorporating flour from the inside walls of the well.

Continue until the mixture becomes thick enough to work with your hands.

Bring everything together into a rough dough.

Don't worry if it doesn't immediately look smooth. That happens during kneading.

Step 2: Knead the Dough

Knead the pasta dough for approximately 8–10 minutes.

Push the dough away from you with the heel of your hand, fold it back over itself, rotate and repeat.

The dough will initially feel rough and relatively firm.

As the gluten develops, it should become noticeably smoother and more elastic.

Avoid adding unnecessary flour. If the dough is only slightly tacky, continue kneading before deciding it needs more.

When properly kneaded, the dough should feel smooth and spring back slowly when pressed.

Step 3: Rest the Pasta Dough

Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it tightly.

Allow it to rest at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.

Don't skip this step.

Resting allows the gluten developed during kneading to relax, making the dough considerably easier to roll.

Step 4: Roll the Pasta

Divide the rested dough into four pieces.

Keep any dough you're not currently working with covered so it doesn't dry out.

Flatten the first piece slightly and pass it through the widest setting of a pasta machine.

Fold it into thirds and pass it through the widest setting again.

Repeat until the sheet becomes smooth and even.

Then gradually reduce the roller setting, passing the pasta through until you have a thin sheet suitable for spaghetti.

Dust lightly with flour when necessary to prevent sticking, but don't use more than you need.

Step 5: Cut the Fresh Spaghetti

Pass each pasta sheet through the spaghetti cutter.

Separate the strands immediately and dust them very lightly with semolina or flour.

Form the spaghetti into loose nests while you finish cutting the remaining pasta.

Don't compress the nests.

Fresh pasta can stick together quickly.

Step 6: Gently Cook the Garlic

Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you prepare the sauce.

Add the extra-virgin olive oil and sliced garlic to a large skillet.

Place it over medium-low heat.

Cook the garlic gently until fragrant and pale golden.

This isn't the moment for aggressive heat.

Garlic becomes bitter quickly once it burns, and in a dish with so few ingredients there is nothing to hide that bitterness.

Watch the garlic rather than the clock.

Step 7: Cook the Fresh Spaghetti

Season the boiling water with salt.

Add the fresh spaghetti and cook until just tender.

Fresh pasta cooks considerably faster than dried pasta. Depending on its thickness, it may need only 2–3 minutes.

Before removing the pasta, reserve at least 1 cup of pasta cooking water.

That cloudy water isn't waste.

It's one of the most important ingredients in the dish.

Step 8: Build the Aglio e Olio Emulsion

Transfer the spaghetti directly into the skillet containing the garlic and olive oil.

Add a small splash of hot pasta water.

Begin tossing vigorously.

The starch from the cooking water combines with the olive oil as you toss the pasta, creating a glossy emulsion that coats the spaghetti.

Add additional pasta water gradually as necessary.

The finished pasta shouldn't be swimming in olive oil.

It shouldn't be watery either.

Every strand should have a light, glossy coating.

Step 9: Add the Parsley

Remove the skillet from direct heat.

Add the chopped parsley and toss again.

Taste the pasta.

This matters.

With a recipe this simple, the final seasoning should be based on what the dish actually needs rather than an arbitrary measurement.

Step 10: Finish with Casa de Fuego

Twirl the spaghetti into warm bowls.

Immediately before serving, add a light pinch of Casa de Fuego.

Casa de Fuego adds a final layer of sea salt, citrus, herbs and gentle chili without changing the fundamental character of aglio e olio.

Don't bury the pasta in it.

Start lightly.

Taste.

Then adjust.

The spaghetti should still taste first of fresh pasta, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil.

This timing is deliberate. Our guide to when to add finishing salt explains why adding it after cooking preserves more of its texture and character.

What Is the Secret to Good Aglio e Olio?

The defining technique isn't simply cooking garlic in olive oil.

It's the emulsion.

Pouring garlic-infused oil over cooked spaghetti gives you oily pasta.

A proper aglio e olio uses the starch in the pasta water and vigorous movement to bring the oil and water together.

That creates the glossy sauce that clings to every strand.

If oil is pooling at the bottom of the pan, keep tossing.

If the pasta becomes too tight or dry, add another small splash of hot pasta water.

Learning to control this technique will improve far more than this one recipe.

How Do You Stop Garlic from Burning?

Control the heat.

Raw garlic begins sharp and aggressive. As it cooks gently, it becomes sweeter and more aromatic.

Push it too far and it becomes bitter.

For aglio e olio, we're looking for pale golden garlic.

If the garlic is coloring too quickly, reduce the heat or temporarily remove the pan from the burner.

The residual heat in the oil will continue cooking it.

Fresh Pasta vs. Dried Spaghetti

Traditional spaghetti aglio e olio is normally associated with dried durum-wheat spaghetti, and dried pasta remains an excellent choice for the dish.

Fresh egg pasta creates something different.

It's softer, richer and more delicate.

Making it from scratch also turns an extremely simple pasta into a dish built around the craft of making the pasta itself.

Neither is automatically better.

They're different ingredients with different characteristics.

For this version, we're deliberately choosing fresh pasta.

Should You Add Parmesan to Aglio e Olio?

You can, but it isn't necessary.

Before reaching for cheese, taste the pasta without it.

Good olive oil, gently cooked garlic, fresh pasta and a properly built emulsion already provide considerable richness.

Keeping the ingredient list restrained also allows each component to remain identifiable.

The simplicity is part of what makes aglio e olio special.

Why Use Finishing Salt on Pasta?

The salt in your pasta water and the finishing salt on the completed dish have different jobs.

Salted cooking water seasons the pasta as it cooks.

Finishing salt is applied directly to the completed dish, where more of its texture and aromatic character remains noticeable.

That gives you another opportunity to adjust the food immediately before it reaches the table.

For more applications beyond pasta, read our complete guide on how to use finishing salt.

What to Serve with Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Aglio e olio can stand perfectly well on its own, but it also works alongside simple proteins and vegetables.

Try it with:

Garlic butter shrimp
Pan-seared salmon
Roasted broccolini
Grilled vegetables
Simple dressed greens

For a seafood pairing, our Garlic Butter Shrimp with Casa de Fuego works particularly well.

For a vegetable side, try Crispy Roasted Broccolini with Garlic.

The Chef's Approach: Simple Food Is Technical Food

Complexity can sometimes hide mistakes.

Simplicity exposes them.

With spaghetti aglio e olio, there is no heavy sauce to compensate for overcooked pasta, burned garlic or poor seasoning.

Make the dough properly.

Rest it.

Cook the garlic gently.

Save the pasta water.

Build the emulsion.

Taste.

Then make the final adjustment.

That's what turns a handful of ingredients into a great plate of pasta.

Finish with Casa de Fuego

Casa de Fuego by Spicerie is a small-batch finishing salt designed for the final stage of cooking.

Used lightly over homemade spaghetti aglio e olio, it adds texture, brightness and gentle heat while allowing the fresh pasta, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil to remain the focus.

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Homemade Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Casa de Fuego