Spaghetti all’Assassina is a bold and traditional dish from Bari, Puglia, that transforms simple ingredients into something unforgettable. By cooking the spaghetti directly in a rich, reduced tomato sauce and tomato-infused stock, this recipe intensifies flavours to a level you won’t believe.
The key is patience—letting the pasta almost “burn” to develop its unique, caramelised texture, then gradually adding tomato water like a risotto. The result is sticky, smoky, and deeply satisfying. It’s a dish that embodies the essence of Italian cooking: simple ingredients elevated through technique.
Spaghetti All’Assassina (Killer Spaghetti)
Ingredients
- 200 g spaghetti
- 200 ml passata @mutti
- 50 g tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- oil for the pan
- salt
- 1 tsp chilli
Instructions
- To a large pan (make sure the spaghetti fit flat in it) add enough oil to cover the surface.
- Add garlic and chilli, cook for only a few seconds so the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add the tomatoes sauce and cook so it reduces down into a thicker sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- While the sauce cooks prepare the tomato stock.
- In a sauce pan add ~500ml of boiling water, the tomato paste and a pinch of salt. Mix.
- When the tomato sauce is ready add the spaghetti straight into the pan, cover with the tomato sauce and let it cook. The trick here is to cook as long as possible without adding any tomato water, you want to try to create a little crust and almost “burn” the spaghetti.
- If it looks like it’s about to burn you know it’s time to add the tomato water, one big scoop at the time (cook like if it was a risotto).
- Add more water and when it dries out add water again. Repeat until the pasta is perfectly cooked. It will take longer than usual to cook your pasta but it will worth it!