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A hand holding a fork on a plate of sardine pasta showing the sardines, basil, tomatoes, capers, lemon and olive oil sauce around it

Sardine Pasta

Course main, Main Course, Main Dish, Pasta, Seafood
Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean
Keyword canned sardine recipe, canned sardines, pasta recipe, pasta with sardines, sardine pasta, sardine recipes, Sardines
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 987 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

Sardine Pasta

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil MINA brand is our fave!
  • 3-4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cans sardines MINA is our favorite brand
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons capers Likewise, MINA is our favorite
  • 1/4 cup Herbs fresh basil and fresh oregano leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
  • 1 box spaghetti cooked
  • 1/2 cup Pasta water to make a sauce

Serving

  • 1/4 cup olive oil MINA is our favorite
  • 1 lemon zested
  • 1/2 teaspoons chilli flakes optional

Instructions

  1. To make pasta with sardines, you'll start with one skillet. A sauce pan or 10 inch skillet is what you need for the sauce and you'll begin with lots of quality olive oil. The first layer of flavor is garlic and lots of seasonal sweet cherry tomatoes.
    making sardine pasta sauce showing a skillets with lots of olive oil, garlic and cherry tomatoes cooking
  2. When the tomatoes have burst slightly and released their juices, you'll add in the sardines. make sure you're using the  boneless type. It's super tricky to eat pasta when there are tiny bones that can be a choking hazard.
    The sardines are then added here to the same skillet after the tomatoes have burst and the garlic has cooked
  3. Then you'll add in the capers to the sauce and gently saute that with the sauce.
    A hand adding in a spoonful of capers to the sauce pan
  4. Finish off with plenty of fresh herbs which add so much brightness to the pasta. We love a combo of fresh oregano and fresh basil. We love a seasoning of salt, pepper and lots of chilli flakes --but that's completely up to you.
    Lots of fresh basil and fresh oregano added to the skillet once the sauce is finished
  5. During the time when you're making this sauce, it would be the time to cook the pasta simultaneously. We love a spaghetti or linguine for this sardine pasta recipe, however any shape of your choice would work.
  6. For a luscious and saucy pasta with sardines, we use our favorite trick--pasta water! Simply reserve a cup or so of the pasta water when draining it. That water is added in slow amounts to the sardine pasta as you toss the spaghetti in. You'll notice the sauce becomes creamy and luscious.
    Cooked spaghetti is added to the sauce skillet
  7. The final touch and the MOST important one! The sardine pasta is enriched with a hefty drizzle of quality extra virgin olive oil. Use quality olive oil here--you want to taste it! This will not cook, it's a topping :)
    A hand pouring in some pasta water to the sauce to create a saucy sardine pasta
  8. Serve right away and enjoy!
    A hand pouring lots of olive oil on the top of the sardine pasta for a final touch

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Sardine Pasta Recipe Tips:

  1. We recommended boneless skinless sardines. Quality, wild caught fish that's packed in EVOO is a game changer, specially the MINA brand. 
  2. Since this recipe has minimal and simple ingredients, make sure you use quality tasting ingredients. 
  3. You can use other veggies like shallots, onions, bell peppers and more. Make sure to customize it to your taste.
  4. It's best to make and enjoy this dish right away.
  5. Try canned salmon for a variety of seafood.
  6. Avoid over mixing the sardines in the skillet as you don't want them to mush, they should be chunks.
  7. The pasta water is for creating a saucy sauce for the pasta, you can however skip it if you prefer a dryer pasta.
  8. A finish of EVOO drizzled on top along with lemon zest is the perfect finish to the taste, and you'll be tasting the brightness of both. We highly recommend this step!
  9. Avoid using lemon juice as it will make your pasta soggy. The zest is all you need for a perfect lemon flavor without the liquid.

How to Store Leftovers? 

The dish can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days, although we recommend enjoying it all the same day. To reheat the pasta, you can so in the microwave, or in a skillet with some water to loosen up the sauce. Freezing this sauce is not our choice as the texture changes.

Can you use fresh Sardines to make this pasta with sardine recipe?

While you can absolutely use freshly cooked Sardines following this tutorial, we prefer canned. Since the fish has tiny fish bones which could be challenging to remove , we recommend boneless canned fish for this recipe. It is however your choice.

What to Serve with Sardine Pasta

 Garlic Bread , Fougasse or a bright Peach Burrata Salad, Panzanella Salad would work great. Likewise, you can dollop some Basil Pesto or Sun Dried Tomato Pesto too.

Nutrition Facts
Sardine Pasta
Amount Per Serving
Calories 987 Calories from Fat 441
% Daily Value*
Fat 49g75%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Polyunsaturated Fat 11g
Monounsaturated Fat 28g
Cholesterol 178mg59%
Sodium 876mg38%
Potassium 1.274mg0%
Carbohydrates 89g30%
Fiber 10g42%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 62g124%
Vitamin A 826IU17%
Vitamin C 48mg58%
Calcium 567mg57%
Iron 8mg44%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.