Anyone who enjoys pasta and fish should try pasta de sardine. Not only is this recipe quick and simple to make, but it also tastes great. It is authentically regionally Spanish and Italian and pairs well with red wine or lager.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- 1 (3.75 ounce) can sardines in tomato sauce
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Cook fettuccine at a boil until almost tender, about 8 minutes.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in sardines and tomato sauce, stir to combine, and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and keep at a simmer.
- Drain pasta, add to sauce, and stir to combine. Cover, turn off the heat, and let stand for 3 minutes. Squeeze lemon over top and divide onto four serving plates. Garnish with Parmesan and red pepper flakes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 350 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 47 g |
| Cholesterol | 21 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 192 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I used sardines in oil & medium shells (what I had on hand). Added 1 cup pasta sauce, a little pasta water & Italian seasoning. I plan to make this again to use up excess sardines & pasta gifted to me by a friend who moved!
Made the recipe just like it was written, the only thing I adjusted was the amount of lemon juice and red pepper flakes, I like more lemon flavor and a little more Spicer than most people , turned out great, will definitely make it again.
Made as stated & we all loved it, even our picky 5 year old. Thank you!
Loved it! I changed nothing the first I prepared it and it was great. The second time I happened to be low on Parmesan cheese so I augmented by stirring in some cream cheese and that, to me, made it even better.
I used sardines in oil with 3 tbsp of tomato paste instead of sardines canned with tomato sauce. I also substituted the olive oil for a tbsp of the oil from the sardines. Next time, I would add few spoonfuls more of the pasta water to make the overall dish smoother.
I like this, easy to make it your own. I use sardines in oil then add a small jar of spaghetti sauce (crushed tomotoes would work well also). Not enough salt for me so I also added anchovy paste, added saltiness and flavor. I could also see adding capers. I also added mushrooms. This is a good recipe to keep the ingredients on hand. Nothing really spoils and onion and garlic are always in our house.
Totally awesome !! I did add a little tomato paste.i like a very rich tomato sauce..definitely a keeper..
Added spanish olives, little extra tomato sauce and fresh parsley to garnish.
Was pretty ok I you want a fast and easy meal. I guess I just don’t like sardines that much.
Used what was in the cupboard: sardines in oil, dried parsley and added 12 oz of store brand onion and garlic pasta sauce. Hard to believe how good it was.
The recipe is very similar to the one that both my Mother and Grandmother used to make on the Feast of St Joseph. They bought a brand of sardines, imported from Italy, that had fennel leaves in the sauce. Since I couldn’t find a stalk of fennel in the grocery store, I crushed a few fennel seeds and included them in my sauce to preserve the original flavor that I recall. I also added a small can (8 oz) of tomato sauce. The recipe was excellent!
Good, but needs way more tomato sauce. I just squirted in some good old ketchup (3 tbsp?) and it balanced the flavours out splendidly. You may want to add some salt and basil as well. Also, I am a small eater and this serves two people max. Cut down on the amount of fettucine.
This recipe is amazing! I am a sardine lover and am always looking for creative uses. I added Italian seasonings and Spanish olives. Tasty!
This is a keeper. I made it both ways, with tomato sauce and without, but added the olive oil from sardines so the sans sauce wasn’t too dry. Without sauce was the preferred dish in our house. I think capers would be a good addition as well. I also substituted rice noodles, which we prefer to wheat spaghetti.
I made it with fennel replacing the onion and added about a cup of pasta sauce. Only had ground cyanne so I used about a quarter teaspoon. Used Wild Planet sardines in marinara sauce, smashing them up into the sauce. My husband thought I made clam sauce. I am definitely making it again. Served it over spaghetti squash.
eh… I thought it was ok, hubby didn’t like it. Won’t make it again.
Truly an easy and quick dish. I added more salt to my taste, but I wouldn’t change anything. I was surprised of how creamy in texture this came out and the lemon added a brightness to the dish. I don’t think I will make this a regular rotation in our house. My husband would not even taste it (his loss), but I thought it was an interesting way to use up some of the leftover canned sardines.
I added 1 can of tomato sauce and crushed the sardines to blend them into the sauce. I was out of parmesan and used Dubliner cheese. I also added 1 tbsp pesto sauce. Great recipe with tons of flavor.
Not as bad as you’d think it would be.
Unfortunately we did not enjoy this dish. The sardines were a bit overwhelming. Thanks for putting the recipe out there, it was worth a shot.
Thought I had anchovies but it was sardines so I found this recipe. The sardines were only in the pan for a couple minutes but they turned out rubbery and had a very odd texture. The flavor was fine but I would never heat sardines again.