Farfalle Aglio e Olio with Breadcrumbs

These bow tie slurping noodles have a light and bright lemony, garlic herbed, red pepper spiced sauce. We topped our farfalle with these killer good homemade season breadcrumbs for that added crunch. Comfort noodles that pack a real punch of flavor with just a handful of pantry ingredients. You gotta love that!

Farfalle Aglio e Olio with Breadcrumbs is that super easy pantry recipe you can make when you have no idea what to make for dinner. For more delicious pantry recipes, be sure to check out our 17 Pantry Recipes for Emergency Preparedness.

What is Farfalle?

The little bowtie pasta shape is called farfalle. This shape is fun, and kids just love it. Farfalle holds on to sauces with all of its little nooks and crannies. However, we also make a batch of gluten free Farfalle pasta that is also egg free (as we have allergy issues in our family) .

You can make this recipe with regular pasta or gluten free. Both options are delicious. The great part about this recipe is that it uses only a handful of ingredients and many of them you have in your pantry right now.

What is Aglio e Olio?

“Aglio e Olio” is an Italian phrase that means garlic and olive oil.

Aglio = Garlic

e = and

Olio = Olive oil

What's to Love

• It’s so darn simple to make (If you can boil water, you can make this recipe)
• Requires only a handful of pantry items and you probably have them in your pantry right now. (Go check! We will wait.)
• Kids and adults both love it (Huge crowd pleaser)
• Vegan and gluten-free (but can be made with regular pasta and loads of Parmesan Cheese if you prefer)
• Budget Friendly like our roasted pepper pasta
• Perfect Fall Comfort Food

How to Cook Pasta Noodles?

Actually, if you are cooking your pasta noodles until they are al dente (or to the tooth pleasant. Not too soft or not too hard) you are probably overcooking them. You see for this Farfalle Aglio e Olio with Breadcrumbs recipe; you will boil the farfalle (bowtie noodles) just until BEFORE al dente. Then you will do a quick cook in the pan again.

Let’s review the basic concepts of preparing the perfect pasta whether that be dried or fresh pasta. Check out this step by step diagram below on how to make Farfalle Aglio e Olio with Breadcrumbs.

Boiling Water

Simple enough right? However, you need to make sure your pasta has enough room to cook in plenty of water. Use a large pot with at least 4-6 quarts of COLD/COOL water for 1 pound of pasta. Bring your water to a boil.

Salt your Pasta Water

Salt your pasta water generously. Your pasta water should taste salty like the sea. This is your one and only good chance to get a delicious seasoning into your pasta. For 4-6 quarts of water, you will need to add about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of salt.

We use kosher salt for this, you can use table salt as well. Unless, you are on a sodium restricted diet, don’t forget this step.

How to prevent your pasta from sticking in the pot?

When you add your pasta to the boiling water, be sure to stir several times during the cooking process. This will prevent the cooking process. Some will add oil to the boiling water but we feel that adds a weird texture to the noodles.

How long to cook your pasta noodles?

Do not rely on the package instructions for the time needed to cook your dried pasta. Every situation is different as it depends on how much pasta to water ratio, etc. Depend on your own tooth for measurement on when pasta is done cooking.

For dried pasta, you will want to check the box or packaging for directions on how long to cook until al dente. If a package say cook for 7 minutes or until al dente, start checking your noodles at about 4-5 minutes. Boil your noodles with the lid off. The best way to do a check it to take a bite.

Your goal is to have a noodle that is just slightly firmer than al dente. We check the pasta every 30 seconds after the first check until we are happy with the firmness level. Once you reach the perfect tooth feel, we drain the pasta immediately BUT we reserve a cup of pasta water or so for the pasta sauce. For fresh pasta it takes only between 1-3 minutes until al dente.

Tossing Pasta in Sauce

After, you drain your pasta in the colander, put it directly into the pan with your gently cooked aromatics and seasonings and toss well. Don’t Forget! Reserve at least one cup of pasta water for your sauce!

On medium heat, add a little of the pasta water, fresh parsley and toss well. This helps make a nice little sauce and seasons your pasta.

Remove your pasta from the heat and garnish as desired. In our case, we will be garnishing our Farfalle Aglio e Olio with Breadcrumbs with fresh lemon zest, homemade breadcrumbs and Parmesan Cheese for the boys.

Homemade Breadcrumbs Rock!

Don’t throw away that day-old crusty bread as that make THE BEST HOMEMADE BREAD CRUMBS. This recipe came about from Italy as a way to use all those leftovers and reduce food waste. We love the fact that the breadcrumbs are extra crunchy, seasoned and have small crumbs and some larger crumbs and that makes it a fun bite.

Italy: Fresh Simple Foods made Simply

“Si mangia e si mangia bene,” which roughly translates to “You eat and eat well.” Have you ever lived in or visited Italy? If not, you certainly need to get this destination on your bucket list. If you love culture, arts, architecture and are a foodie, this visit is just for you.

During our visits to Italy, we obtained the true blessings of the 5 ingredient wonders of the world. Fresh simple foods made simply. With Italian cooking, there is no fussing about in the kitchen with prepping lots of exotic ingredients and spices. Actually, very few ingredients are used in Italian dishes. The ones that are used are very simple, fresh and made with love.

Life is about making the people you love both happy and nourished.  At the end of day, it is about life balance and spending more time with the ones you love while enjoying some great food together. So, let’s get making some delicious Farfalle Aglio e Olio with Breadcrumbs.

More Noodle Recipes From Around the World

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Lemon Artichoke Chicken Pasta – Italy

Pad Thai Your Way – Thailand

Orecchiette and Chicken Sausage in a Garlic Wine Sauce – Italy

Sopa de Fideo (Mexican Noodle Soup) – Mexico

Better Than Take Out Vegetable Lo Mein – China

 Trofie al Pesto – Italy

Golden Spiced Noodle Soup – Thailand

Butternut Squash Vegetarian Lasagna – Italy

One Pot Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta – America

Camote Bihon (Sweet Potato Noodles) – Philippines

Shrimp Tempura Udon Noodles - Japan