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Umami bomb spaghetti

By: Emily Gussin
Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

Published: 26 Jul 24
Updated: 7 Aug 24

Ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta, this speedy spaghetti sauce is packed with olives, anchovies, capers, parmesan and parsley for a joyful tapenade-like flavour. When you need dinner fast, it’s perfect.

Find more storecupboard recipes like this one here.

Easy
July 2024

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Hands-on time 20 min

Find more storecupboard recipes like this one here.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 468kcals
Fat: 22g (3.8g saturated)
Protein: 15g
Carbohydrates: 48g (3.7g sugars)
Fibre: 8.3g
Salt: 4.6g

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Ingredients

300g spaghetti (wholewheat works well)
10g parsley
1 large garlic clove
150g pitted kalamata olives (drained weight)
6 anchovy fillets in oil
2 tbsp capers
Juice ½ lemon
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
20g parmesan, finely grated

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Method

Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water for 1 minute less than the pack instructions or until al dente (with bite).
Meanwhile, roughly chop the parsley and garlic, then put in a food processor or blender. Add the olives, anchovies, capers, lemon juice and 2 tbsp of the oil. Whizz to a coarse but not chunky paste.
Drain the pasta, reserving a mugful of the cooking water. Tip the pasta back into the pan and put over a medium heat. Add the tapenade mixture plus a glug of the cooking water and stir together quickly to combine and coat the pasta, adding more of the water if needed.

Season to taste (it’s probably salty enough already from the anchovies and capers, but double check), adding more lemon juice too if you like. Serve with a drizzle of oil and the parmesan scattered over.