Description
A restaurant-quality dish that brings bold, punchy flavors to your table in under 15 minutes, making it the perfect solution for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
200g / 7oz spaghetti (or other long pasta)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
2 garlic cloves (finely minced)
3 anchovy fillets (finely minced)
1/4 cup pitted black olives (preferably in oil, quartered)
1 tbsp capers (drained)
1/4 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
400g / 14oz can crushed tomato
1/2 cup water
1 tsp fresh oregano (sub 1/4 tsp dried)
1/8 tsp kosher / cooking salt (or 2 pinches table salt)
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sugar (if needed)
2 tbsp fresh basil (roughly chopped)
Instructions
1. Get started by bringing a big pot of water to a boil for the pasta, and warm your serving bowls.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 15 seconds until it just begins to turn golden.
3. Stir in the anchovies, olives, capers, and chili flakes, cooking for 1 minute.
4. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, then add 1/2 cup of water to the empty tomato can. Swirl it around to get all the tomato out, then pour it into the skillet.
5. Add the oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir everything, bring it to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, or until the tomato has broken down into a sauce. Turn off the stove if the sauce is ready before the pasta.
6. While the sauce simmers, add 2 teaspoons of salt to the boiling water and cook the pasta according to package directions.
7. Just before draining the pasta, save about a mugful of the cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.
8. Add the drained pasta directly to the sauce. Pour in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and use two wooden spoons to toss the pasta in the sauce over low heat for 1 minute, until the sauce coats the strands. If it seems dry, add a little more pasta water and toss.
9. Serve immediately in the warmed bowls, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh basil.
Notes
Prep Everything First: Since this comes together in minutes, have your garlic minced, olives quartered, and anchovies chopped before you start the heat.
Warm Your Bowls: Placing your serving bowls in a warm oven or rinsing them with hot water before serving makes a noticeable difference in how the pasta holds its temperature.
Pasta Water is Gold: Never skip the step of reserving the pasta water. The starch in that water acts as a binder, helping the tomato sauce coat every strand of spaghetti perfectly.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Calories: N/A
- Fat: N/A
- Carbohydrates: N/A
- Protein: N/A