Pasta with Sardines I
Sounds really good, but when I found this recipe it seemed a bit lacking in the sardines, 1 tin (that would be the 155 grams very small can with the pull top) for the servings listed, I am going to increase this to 2 tins. This is a light tomato sauce based sauce. This can be made with sardines in tomato sauce or sardines in olive oil. For sardines in oil, this is a money saver for you as I have a shortcut on the site to make your own sardines in oil, very easy, much much less than the cost of tinned sardines in oil. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 250 grams dry spaghetti, or Fettuccine (which would be my choice)
- 2 tins sardines, see Step 1
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, see Step 2 (omit if using sardines in olive oil)
- 4 tablespoons tomato sauce, see Step 2 (omit if using sardines in tomato sauce)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- For the sardines, you have a couple of options here, you can use canned sardines in either tomato sauce (155 gram tins) or olive oil (120 gram tins), or you can use homemade sardines in olive oil (for homemade I would start with 1 1/2 cups of sardines). Homemade is the preferred method, no packaging to worry about, and you have a product you made.
- If using sardines in tomato sauce, you will use the sauce in the tins and you can omit that ingredient. If using sardines in olive oil, drain the oil into a cup and you will use 2 tablespoons of that and you will then need to add 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil then add the pasta and cook until just tender.
- While the water for the pasta is heating, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non stick skillet on medium heat and add the onion and cook until soft, then add the sardines including the tomato sauce they came in, or if packed in oil and drained then you will need to add 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce (feel free to chop them up with the spatula if you like). Once the sardines are heated through, reduce heat to very low and let simmer until the pasta is ready.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain that well and add to the skillet with the sauce and sardines, stir, cover and remove from heat and let the flavors blend for a few minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over the pasta and serve. Top servings with red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese.
Notes
This is low cost. Sardines in tomato sauce is cheap, from 12 to 32 Baht per 155 gram tin. Not all sardines are the same with taste, the very cheap ones are not that good. For 32 Baht/tin think Ayam brand, very good. For 15 Baht/tin, the next best in flavor is Three Lady Cooks brand. These are the only brands I buy.
For sardines in olive oil, I have only seen one brand, Ayam, for 59 Baht per 120 gram tin, these are very good. If you make your own sardines in olive oil, you can reduce this price to probably 20 Baht/tin.
Figuring two tins with tomato sauce at 32 Baht each (64 Baht total), for 4 servings this is about 47 cents per serving. Figuring two tins with olive oil at 59 Baht each (118 Baht total), for 4 servings this is about 87 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Sardines in Olive Oil.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
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