This Spaghetti alla Napoletana recipe is a very simple dish of Napoletana tomato sauce stirred through spaghetti. When we were kids, we would eat spaghetti from a tin on a regular basis. It was easy (and cheap) for my mum to empty a couple of tins into a bowl and microwave them. Looking back, it was probably the added sugar that made us like it. I would like to think that Italian children wouldn’t dream of eating tinned spaghetti, and that in Naples they eat this home made alternative.
But making spaghetti in tomato sauce from scratch is embarrassingly simple, and not much more effort than opening a tin. It’s definitely worth a little more effort. Spaghetti alla Napoletana takes almost no effort to pull together. In fact, if you have a batch of my Napoletana sauce in the freezer, it only takes the time it takes to cook your spaghetti.
In addition, it only contains fresh ingredients. And it does have any added sugar or preservatives. What’s more to like?
Buon appetito! 🇮🇹
More Campania Recipes
- Paccheri allo Scarpariello – large pasta tubes tossed with cherry tomatoes, basil, pecorino and white wine. A Neapolitan classic.
- Zucchini a Scapece – fried courgettes marinated in vinegar and mint. One of Naples’ most distinctive side dishes.
- Bucatini alla Rafilina – Neapolitan bucatini with cherry tomatoes, parsley and a pinch of chilli.
Spaghetti alla Napoletana
Equipment
- 2 Saucepans
- Wooden Spoon
- Grater
Ingredients
- 1 portion Napoletana Tomato Sauce
- 250 grams spaghetti ((dried weight))
- extra virgin olive oil
- ground black pepper (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- 5 basil leaves (to garnish)
- parmesan cheese (grated)
Instructions
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then cook the spaghetti per the packet instructions.
- Whilst the spaghetti is cooking, heat the Napoletana tomato sauce in a separate pan.
- When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan with the Napoletana sauce and stir well to combine.
- Add the grated cheese, season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve immediately with a garnish of basil.
Notes
- Taste the pasta water to make sure it is salty enough. The water should be as salty as the sea.
- Add a tablespoon or two of the pasta cooking water to loosen up the Napoletana tomato sauce if needed.
