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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Pasta with Tomatoes, Anchovies and Garlic

4-6 Servings

35 minutes

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At Trattoria La Cantineta in Ancona, Italy, chef Raffaele Attili taught us to make tagliolini ai sardoncini, in which he paired pasta with a simple but intensely flavored sauce of tomatoes, garlic and anchovies. (Sardoncini are sardines, but Attili opted for anchovies.) For our version, we blend a can of whole or diced tomatoes with their juices. Don’t use canned crushed or pureed tomatoes. These products taste tinnier and duller than whole or diced tomatoes, and have a thicker, heavier consistency. A generous amount of oil-packed anchovies disintegrates into the quick-cooking sauce and lends richness. In the finished dish, the sauce should cling tightly to the pasta with little pooling on the bottom.

4-6

Servings

Tip

Don’t forget to reserve some water before draining the pasta. Depending on the consistency of your sauce, you may not need any of it, but if the sauce is too thick to nicely coat the noodles, you’ll need some to thin it.

35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 14½

    ounce can whole peeled tomatoes or diced tomatoes

  • 1

    pound spaghetti

Directions

Reviews
Paublo S.
January 10, 2026
Basic but a beauty
Simple and tasty, very Italian. I added a little fresh lemon juice to the sauce before serving to cut through the big flavours a little (along with some parmesan). Perfect base for adding seafood of some sort!
Ian H.
September 9, 2025
Rich depth of flavor and easy to prepare
Given the few ingredients, this pasta turned out rich with an unexpected depth of flavor. It was also very easy to prepare. The anchovy-tomato sauce was silky and clung to the bucatini perfectly. We’ll definitely be making it again, it’s absolutely delicious.
Judith Y.
March 19, 2025
Simple and flavorful
My husband was craving pasta, and this recipe was such a winner. The sauce was silky and so flavorful. I worried that the anchovies would overwhelm, but they didn't at all!

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