Fast Tomato Sauce With Anchovies

5.0(777)

Despite their reputation, anchovies are not overpowering, at least once cooked. Used with garlic as the start of a fast pasta sauce, they dissolve almost instantly and add a mysteriously meaty complexity that makes the sauce seem as if it had simmered for hours. Tossed with linguine and arugula, they make a simple dish sophisticated. If you're feeding a crowd, it doubles or triples beautifully.

by Mark Bittman

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ItalianDinner, Main Course

Servings

enough for 1 pound of pasta, about 4 servings

Total time

30 min

Calories / serving

103 kcal

Ingredients (5)

serves

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oilextra-virgin-olive-oil
1 teaspoon minced garlicgarlic
4 to 6 anchovy fillets, with some of their oil
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, crushed or chopped and drained of their juicetomato
Salt and fresh-ground black pepperpepper

Instructions (2 steps)

01Put the olive oil in a deep skillet, and turn the heat to medium. A minute later, add the garlic and the anchovies, and stir. When the garlic sizzles and the anchovies break up, add the tomatoes.
02Turn heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture becomes saucy, about 15 minutes. Season to taste, and serve with spaghetti or other long pasta. Grated pecorino Romano cheese goes well with this sauce.

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Rich recipe — supports nutrition-aware planning.