Spaghetti all'Assassina (Spicy Singed Tomato Pasta)

Name: Spaghetti all'Assassina (Spicy Singed Tomato Pasta)
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups jarred or homemade tomato sauce; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 teaspoons red-pepper flakes, or more to taste; 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced; 2 teaspoons tomato paste; 1 pound (uncooked) spaghetti

By Anna Francese Gass

Updated Oct. 6, 2023

Spaghetti all'Assassina (Spicy Singed Tomato Pasta) — Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho.

Total Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 4(1,267)
Comments: Read comments

This spicy one-pot pasta dish is common on menus in Bari, Italy, but can easily be prepared at home. Like many classic dishes, there are a couple versions of its origin story. According to one, a distracted chef accidentally left his pasta cooking until the sauce burned, while another attributes the recipe title to the dish’s killer spiciness. The method involves treating spaghetti as you would risotto: Heat some garlic, red-pepper flakes and tomato paste in oil, then add the pasta and cook it gently, slowly adding tomato broth little by little. Once the pasta soaks up the flavorful liquid, it starts to char. Bari is famous for serving this dish extra “piccante,” but at home, you can make it as mild or spicy as you wish.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

2½cups jarred or homemade tomato sauce
¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
2teaspoons red-pepper flakes, or more to taste
1garlic clove, thinly sliced
2teaspoons tomato paste
1pound (uncooked) spaghetti

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a medium saucepan, heat the tomato sauce with 3½ cups water over medium heat. Stir to combine and bring the tomato broth to a simmer.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a 12- to 14-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium.
Step 3
Add red-pepper flakes and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, until garlic is just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, press it into the pan to spread it out, and cook until it begins to melt and toast.
Step 4
Using a ladle or big spoon, add about ½ cup of the warm tomato broth to the pan and swirl to combine with the other ingredients.
Step 5
Carefully place the spaghetti into the pan on top of the sauce. (The spaghetti should fit lengthwise, but you can break the strands to fit in your pan, if need be.) Ladle 1 cup of the tomato broth on top of the pasta. Using a fork, move the spaghetti strands until evenly coated, pressing the spaghetti to distribute the broth until it evenly coats the pasta.
Step 6
Allow the pasta to cook for 3 minutes. Once the broth is absorbed, add 1½ cups tomato broth and repeat the process. As the pasta softens, move the strands out so they begin to create an even layer in the skillet.
Step 7
Add another 1½ cups broth. Rearrange the pasta again so it’s in an even layer and covered in liquid, and cook another 3 minutes.
Step 8
At the 9-minute mark, the pasta should begin to crackle and sizzle. Gently lift the pasta and peek underneath it. There should be crispy, almost burnt pieces. If so, flip the pasta. If not, increase heat a bit until it crisps, then flip and continue.
Step 9
Once the pasta is flipped, add the remaining broth. At this point, the pasta should be soft enough to easily move in the pan. Continue cooking until broth is absorbed and pasta is cooked through but still al dente. (If your pasta is still on the firmer side, you can add a splash of water, if needed, and cook until al dente.)
Step 10
Divide among bowls. Serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,267 user ratings

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Comments

Jean A1 year ago

A dish like this, which uses an unfamiliar technique, cries out for a video! From the comments, it seems like a lot of people ended up with something that was good, but not necessarily what was intended. A video would show us exactly what to look for at each step.

vicki1 year ago

Go to YouTube, search Spaghetti all’Assassina and you’ll find a video of chef Celso Laforgia making it. It’s helped me to be able to see it being made. This is amazing!

Manhattan Tart (Manhattan Beach, CA)2 years ago

Used 1.25 tsp. red pepper flakes and it was plenty. Marcella Hazan's recipe (referenced) for sauce makes 3 C., so instead of using 2.5 C of sauce and 3.5 of water, I used 3 C sauce, 2.5 C water. I used 4 cloves of garlic which, to my surprise, didn't burn in my 14" cast iron skillet (which worked GREAT for this recipe). My husband had 3 servings, I had two. The only addition I'd make would be a little grating of parm-reg to serve. Umami-laden and rich, will absolutely make again and again.

Maddie6 days ago

Fell in love with this dish in Monopoli last summer and I have to say, this may have been even better! I had to cook a little longer and add a few splashes of water but it was easy peasy! Topped with half a burrata ball and smeared the straccitella all around- omg divine!!!

Kristianne S1 month ago

The best part are the crispy bits. Delicious and fast to make.

Ted1 month ago

I think you're supposed to add the spaghetti to the pan with the initial tomatoes (here it's paste) before you add the first ladle of broth. This ensures it will caramelize and get those burnt bits, rather than just cook like a risotto.

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