This easy bucatini with anchovy sauce is a pantry pasta you’ll want on repeat all year long. It’s easy to make, and you only need a few ingredients.
Bucatini tossed in a salty, briny, spicy anchovy sauce is a meal you’ll want to throw together all the time.
After my deep dive into all things St. Patrick’s Day, I needed a break from all the corned beef and cabbage and cupcakes and boxty! I received a comment on my Reddit post six years ago from a user who said they made this recipe two weekends in a row and were obsessed with it! After looking at my website, I realized that I must have taken down the recipe for one reason or another. I may not have liked the photo, but I’m not really sure what happened. Regardless, given how much this user loved this bucatini with anchovy sauce recipe, I felt I was doing a disservice by not having it on my website.
As a respite from the Irish food, I decided to whip this up tonight, and yes, it’s as delicious as I remember! And that user has every reason to be obsessed with it; it’s SO good!
The sauce is so simple, with just capers, anchovies, garlic, crushed red pepper, and lemon peels. I cook them with butter, white wine, and cherry tomatoes, though canned tomatoes will work just fine. Finally, I add bucatini and spinach and finish with lemon juice. It’s that easy. The user on Reddit mentioned that they served it with shrimp, which was a huge hit; what a great idea! Shrimp, clams, or mussels would be fantastic!
How to make this bucatini with anchovy sauce
You don’t need many ingredients for a flavor-packed pasta dinner.
What you need
- Sauce: The sauce starts with anchovies, capers, garlic, lemon peel, crushed red pepper, and butter. I add cherry tomatoes and then deglaze with white wine.
- Pasta: I use bucatini, but almost all pasta shapes will work here. Try it with spaghetti, angel hair, or linguine.
- Finishing touches: I finish the sauce with spinach and lemon juice. I serve it with freshly minced parsley. A sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese on top would also be welcome!
How to make it
- Step 1: Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the bucatini, and reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.
- Step 2: While you wait for the water to boil, make the sauce. Cook the anchovies with capers, garlic, crushed red pepper, and lemon peels. Mash to “melt” the anchovies into the oil and to form a paste.
- Step 3: Add butter. Once melted, add the tomatoes. Once the tomato skins begin to burst, pour in the white wine and bring to a boil. Stir to lift anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Boil for 1 to 2 minutes to reduce the wine slightly. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Step 4: Finish the pasta. Return the sauce to a boil and add the reserved pasta cooking water. Add spinach and lemon juice and cook until the spinach is bright green. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat with the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
From there, serve it up! Finish the pasta with minced parsley and enjoy!
Bucatini with Anchovy Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 16 ounces bucatini (spaghetti, or linguine)
- 2-ounce can anchovy filets in oil
- 2 ounces non-pareil capers (drained)
- 6 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (plus more to taste)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup white wine (or use chicken stock)
- 2 cups unsalted chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (plus more to taste)
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- ¼ cup fresh parsley (minced)
Instructions
Prepare lemon:
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel off 3 strips of lemon zest. Juice the lemon into a small bowl.
Cook the bucatini:
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
Start the sauce:
- As the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Turn the heat on a wide pot to medium. Add the anchovy filets along with the oil from the can. Add the drained capers, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, and lemon zest strips.
- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, mashing the anchovies with a spoon until they ‘melt.’ Continue cooking until the anchovies melt completely and the garlic is golden brown but not burned.
Cook the tomatoes:
- Add the butter to the pot. Once melted and frothy, add the tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until they begin to burst.
Simmer the sauce:
- Pour in the white wine. Stir to lift anything stuck to the bottom of the bot. Boil for 1 to 2 minutes to reduce the wine slightly. Pour in the chicken stock. Add ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes. After the sauce simmers, taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. It may taste salty at this point, but the saltiness will soften when adding pasta and spinach.
Finish the bucatini in anchovy sauce:
- Remove and discard the lemon peels from the sauce. Return the sauce to a boil. Add ½ cup of pasta cooking water to the sauce along with the spinach and lemon juice. Cook until the spinach is just wilted and bright green.
- Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
To serve:
- Divide the pasta between bowls and sprinkle with minced parsley and fresh cracked black pepper if desired. Enjoy!
