Spaghetti all’assassina is an Italian one-pot pasta with spaghetti cooked in a rich and spicy tomato sauce.
The recipe is easy to make in about 20 minutes and has simple ingredients. It has quickly become one of our favorite easy pasta recipes topped with creamy burrata cheese.
What is spaghetti all’assassina
Spaghetti all’assassina or assassin’s spaghetti is a one-pot pasta recipe from Bari in the South of Italy. If you love tomato sauce and chili, you are in for a treat!
It has a spiciness-level similar to penne arrabbiata and spaghetti aglio e olio where chili plays an important role.
As local folklore goes, a customer who was served this dish first screamed at the chef, “You are an assassin,” because the pasta was so spicy.
The secrets to making this dish are:
- Cook the pasta directly in tomato sauce.
- Slightly char the spaghetti as they cook on the pan to create an irresistible crispy texture.
Like spaghetti pomodoro and cherry tomato pasta, we top this dish with creamy Burrata cheese to turn this simple pasta dish into a meal.
Ingredients
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Spaghetti
- Tomato puree or tomato passata.
- Tomato paste: the thick one that comes in a tube or small can, sometimes called tomato concentrate.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic: fresh.
- Red pepper flakes or dried chilis.
- Vegetable broth
- Salt
- Burrata: that’s optional, as a topping. Substitute buffalo mozzarella, stracciatella cheese, or whole milk ricotta for burrata.
What is Burrata? Burrata is an Italian cow’s milk cheese that looks like a mozzarella. The outer layer is made of mozzarella, and the inside is filled with cream and stracciatella, another soft Italian cheese.
How to make assassin’s spaghetti
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a skillet large enough to contain the spaghetti.
Ideally, use a cast iron or enameled cast iron skillet. Non-stick also works.
Add the garlic cloves cut in half and the red pepper flakes, and fry gently for a minute or until you smell the garlic’s fragrant aroma.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook it in the oil for a minute or until it turns a darker shade of red.
Add tomato puree, half of the vegetable broth, salt, and the spaghetti.
Cover the spaghetti with the sauce and simmer for 8 to 12 minutes or until cooked. Add more broth if necessary.
Try not to touch the pasta much.
Note: the most difficult step is to understand when the pasta is slightly charred but not burnt. You want some charring to crisp up the texture of the spaghetti and infuse the sauce with a smokey and slightly bitter flavor that contrasts the sweetness and spiciness of the tomato sauce. If done well this dish is divine!
You should allow the spaghetti to stick to the pan and slightly char. You might want to turn the pasta once or twice, but no more than that.
Serve directly in the pan or on a plate with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Note: if you prefer not to char the pasta then all you have to do is stir it more often. The dish will still be delicious and very creamy.
We recommend adding burrata or soft white cheese on top to make this spaghetti all’Assasina a complete meal and to soften the intensity of the tomato-chili sauce.
Storage
Make ahead: Spaghetti all’Assassina is a quick and easy meal, but we don’t recommend preparing it in advance, as the pasta’s texture will deteriorate.
Refrigerator: You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 36 hours.
Reheat: You can warm pasta in a microwave for a few minutes or in a skillet with olive oil.
Similar recipes
If you loved this assassin’s spaghetti, you might also enjoy:
Spaghetti all’Assassina
Ingredients
- 10 ounces spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and halved
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes more or less to taste
- ¾ cup tomato paste the thick one that comes in a tube or small can
- 2 cups tomato puree or passata
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- 3 small burrata * optional
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a skillet large enough to contain the spaghetti.Add 3 cloves garlic cut in half and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and sauté gently for a minute or until you smell the garlic’s fragrant aroma.Stir in ¾ cup tomato paste and cook it in the oil for a minute or until it turns a darker shade of red.
- Add 2 cups tomato puree, 2 of the 4 cups vegetable broth, ¾ teaspoons salt, and 10 ounces spaghetti.Cover the spaghetti with the sauce and simmer for 8 to 12 minutes or until cooked. Add more broth if necessary.Try not to touch the pasta much.
- You should allow the spaghetti to stick to the pan and slightly char. You might want to turn the pasta once or twice, but no more than that.Serve directly in the pan or on a plate with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- We recommend adding burrata or soft white cheese on top to make this spaghetti all’Assasina a complete meal and to soften the intensity of the tomato-chili sauce.
Notes
- Spaghetti: Substitute linguine.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Substitute regular olive oil.
- Red pepper flakes: Substitute dried chilis.
- Burrata: optional, as a topping. Substitute buffalo mozzarella, stracciatella cheese, or whole milk ricotta for burrata.
- Make ahead: Spaghetti all’Assassina is a quick an easy meal and we don’t recommend preparing it in advance as the texture of the pasta will deteriorate.
- Refrigerator: You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 36 hours.
- Reheat: You can warm pasta in a microwave for a couple of minutes, or in a skillet with some olive oil.
- Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 serving of spaghetti all’assassina out of 3 servings, without burrata.
- Note 1: the most difficult step is to understand when the pasta is slightly charred but not burnt. You want some charring to crisp up the texture of the spaghetti and infuse the sauce with a smokey and slightly bitter flavor that contrasts the sweetness and spiciness of the tomato sauce. If done well this dish is divine!
- Note 2: if you prefer not to char the pasta then all you have to do is stir it more often. The dish will still be delicious and very creamy.
- What is Burrata? Burrata is an Italian cow’s milk cheese that looks like a mozzarella. The outer layer is made of mozzarella, and the inside is filled with cream and stracciatella, another soft Italian cheese.
Amazing! Loved the smoky flavor of the pasta. Also the sauce is so rich and flavorful. I added the burrata as you recommended and it was absolutely perfect! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi Martha, that’s fantastic!! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, thanks so much for taking the time to write your feedback ❤️