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A close up of tomato sardine pasta topped with breadcrumbs.
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Tomato Pasta with Sardines and Breadcrumbs

Use the camera icon to toggle the step by step photos on and off. A delicious and easy tomato pasta with canned sardines, garlic, chilli and white wine. Made with store cupboard ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes.
Prep Time3 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time28 minutes
Course: pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Emily Wyper

Ingredients

  • 400 g (14oz) spaghetti (or linguine)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 fresh red chilli
  • 60 ml (1/4 cup) white wine
  • 800 g (28oz) canned plum tomatoes (we used Mutti)
  • 120 g (4 oz) canned sardines in tomato sauce see notes
  • 1 tablespoon capers (jarred in brine)
  • 1 small handful fresh parsley finely chopped
  • 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  • Heat a pan on a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the breadcrumbs and toast until golden, making sure to stir often so they don’t burn. Transfer them to a bowl and add the zest of 1/2 lemon; set aside (photos 1 and 2).
    Two photos showing toasting breadcrumbs then mixing them with lemon zest.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Finely chop the garlic cloves and fresh red chilli.
    • Use as much chilli as you like; if it’s a particularly hot one, you can just use half. I like to deseed mine so it's not overpowering.
  • Heat around 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and add the garlic and chilli. Sauté for a few minutes until fragrant, then add the white wine (photos 3 and 4).
    Two photos showing frying garlic and chilli in a pan then adding white wine.
  • Let the wine reduce by half, then add the plum tomatoes, breaking them up in the pan with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Simmer the sauce on a medium-high heat for 5 minutes (photos 5 and 6).
    Two photos showing before and after of crushing plum tomatoes in a pan.
  • After simmering the sauce for 5 minutes, add the pasta to the water and cook until al dente.
  • Stir the tinned sardines and capers into the sauce and continue to simmer the sauce until the pasta is done (photo 7).
    Two photos showing adding sardines and capers to tomato sauce then adding spaghetti.
  • When the pasta is ready, transfer it to the sauce using kitchen tongs and toss it to coat in the sauce. Add a splash of pasta water if needed. Finally, stir through some finely chopped fresh parsley (photo 8).
  • Serve in bowls topped with some breadcrumbs (you may not need them all).

Notes

  • Sardines - you can use sardines canned in tomato sauce or oil. If using those canned in oil just remove the excess before adding to the sauce. Some sardines are canned in spicy tomato sauce, which are also fine to use; you might just have to add less fresh chilli if you can't tolerate too much heat.
  • More store cupboard swaps - you can use dried chilli flakes instead of fresh chilli (add to your taste and heat tolerance). You can also use dried oregano instead of parsley if preferred.
  • Storage - best eaten and enjoyed immediately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 1 day. Do not freeze.

Nutrition

Calories: 613kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 641mg | Potassium: 903mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 564IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 5mg
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