Food + Drink

Aglio e Olio: Pasta from Chef the Movie

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As I write this post -about the best pasta from the movie Chef, which we will get to – I look up what year Chef was released. Completely insane to think it was 2014! SIX! years ago.

Is anyone else feeling like time is escaping rather quickly?!

That’s a long post in and of itself, so let’s get chatting about the present. Like how you’re making this pasta for dinner tonight… 

Ingredients to make the pasta from chef the movie. Close up on the sliced garlic

Chef, the movie inspired this pasta.

SIX (!!!) years ago (I’ll let it go now, I still just can’t believe it!) when I first saw the movie Chef, there is a scene that spoke to me.

I think my love language is food—pasta, in particular. I just started my blog, and this is already my second pasta dish. The first one was this Healthy Cauliflower Alfredo, in case you missed it.

Off-topic again.

The scene was Jon Favreau making Scarlett Johansson a pasta dish that resembles a classic Italian dish, Aglio e Olio. Needless to say, that scene stole my heart (seriously, food is my love language).

Ingredients to make the pasta from chef the movie. The ingredients include two halved lemons, 15 garlic cloves, parmesan cheese, salt, parsley.

Let me be abundantly clear though; there were two specifics about that scene that stole my heart:

1. The fork used to plate the pasta noodles – classic Chef movie image – everyone who loves food and loves this movie knows it.

2. PLUS the finished product. You could tell from the screen how much care and detail when into that spin on Aglio e Olio.

If you have no clue what I’m talking about, please pause this post. Watch the movie (or this scene at the very least) and then return here to learn to make one of my go-to pasta dishes this summer.

It’s light and refreshing with the perfect amount of citrus and heat to balance one another.

The only thing missing is a carving fork to plate your pasta like a boss. I’ll link it below with a few other items that would make making this dish easier (or just generally more fun). The links below are Amazon Affiliate links, and I may earn a commission off of items you buy at no added cost to you. You can read more about my affiliate links here.

aglio e olio in pan

Aglio-e-Olio: Chef the Movie Version

Ingredients

Serves 4

+ 1/2 cup olive oil

+ 2 cups chopped parsley

+ 15 garlic cloves, thinly sliced as pictured above

+ 2 lemons, juiced

+ 2 tsp chili flakes (optional + option for more or less as well)

+ 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

+ 1/2 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp pepper (plus more to taste)

+ 1 package of dried spaghetti

+ 1/2 cup pasta water (reserve from your cooked pasta) ]

Made bowl of aglio-e-olio, the pasta from the movie chef

Instructions

1.  Boil salted water for your pasta noodles and cook per package instructions.

2. At the same time as you’re boiling your water, heat 1/2 cup of olive oil in a large-sized pan over medium heat.

3. Once your oil is hot, add your sliced garlic cloves and stir continuously. This is where Italians will be mad at me, but I do like the garlic more brown (they would say burnt), I also like it to the point of garlic chips (so crispy – LOL Italians are after me now!!!), but I haven’t gone that far in a while.

4. Once you see that garlic turning brown (for the not crispy – for crispy leave on a little bit longer 1-2 minutes, don’t let them burn though), turn off the heat but leave the pan on the burner. Add your salt, pepper, and chilli flakes (if you’re using them).

5. When the pasta is done cooking, add it to the pan along with 1/2 cup of pasta water (save a little more just in case), parsley, parmesan, and lemon juice. Toss to coat well. If you feel the pasta needs a little more sauciness, add a little bit more pasta water (I would say no more than another 1/2 cup, but less to maintain the flavor).

6. Plate in your pasta low bowls (with your carving knife if you have one), and top with parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

These items will make your experience making the pasta from Chef, the movie either easier or that much more fun:

 

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