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5.0 from 114 votes

Pasta alla Pizzaiola Recipe from Puglia

This delicious pasta recipe from Puglia is based on pizza marinara sauce, hence the name! It can be served baked or not baked. It is simple to make but full of Mediterranean flavour! Make it vegetarian by leaving out the anchovies!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 712 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 400 g pennoni pasta (14oz) or other pasta of your choice
  • 500 g tomato passata (17oz) or canned peeled tomatoes
  • 12 cherry tomatoes (optional)
  • 250 g fresh mozzarella (9oz) double the mozzarella if you plan to bake before serving
  • 1-2 garlic cloves peeled
  • 1-2 anchovy fillets (salted or preserved in oil) leave out for vegetarian option
  • 1-2 teaspoon oregano dried or 2-4 teaspoon fresh
  • salt for pasta and to taste
  • 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon capers (salted or preserved in vinegar)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. If using salted capers rinse under running water. If using cherry tomatoes wash them and cut into halves. Peel the garlic.
  2. Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt when it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
  3. In a high-sided skillet or frying pan, sauté the garlic cloves, the anchovy fillets, the capers and the cherry tomatoes together with the olive oil. After a few minutes, once the anchovies have melted, add the tomato passata.
  4. Cook over a medium heat for about fifteen minutes. When half cooked, add salt to taste and sprinkle with the oregano, leave to simmer and flavor for 10 more minutes. Remove the garlic. 
  5. In the meantime, cut the mozzarella into small pieces and then cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. 
  6. Remove some of the sauce from the pan. When it’s cooked, drain the pasta and add to the skillet/frying pan with the sauce. Mix everything together well to distribute the sauce evenly. Plate the pasta after putting a nice spoonful of the saved sauce in the bottom of the bowl/plate.  
  7. Put some mozzarella pieces onto the pasta before serving.
To bake your pasta alla pizzaiola
  1. Transfer the pasta mixed with the sauce to a buttered oven dish. Cover the top with mozzarella slices and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C until the top starts to crisp and the mozzarella melts and browns slightly!

Notes

  • Traditionally,  pasta alla pizzaiola is made with long pasta such as spaghetti or bucatini or short pasta like penne or pennoni (giant penne) You can also use vermicelli or fusilli! 

Nutrition Information

Calories 712kcal (36%) Carbohydrates 90g (30%) Protein 30g (60%) Fat 26g (40%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 12g Cholesterol 50mg (17%) Sodium 495mg (21%) Potassium 944mg (27%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 11g (22%) Vitamin A 1321IU (26%) Vitamin C 25mg (28%) Calcium 376mg (38%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 712

% Daily Value*

Calories 712kcal 36%
Carbohydrates 90g 30%
Protein 30g 60%
Fat 26g 40%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 60%
Cholesterol 50mg 17%
Sodium 495mg 21%
Potassium 944mg 20%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 11g 22%
Vitamin A 1321IU 26%
Vitamin C 25mg 28%
Calcium 376mg 38%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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