Spaghetti all’Ascolana is an easy to make olive and tuna spaghetti recipe from the Ascoli Piceno province in the Marche region of Italy. The star of this dish is the large green olives called Ascolana olives which the province is famous for. Of course, you can use other types of large green olives.
Where is Marche?
Marche (also called le Marche, meaning the marshes) is a region on the Adriatic coast in Central Italy. It’s a beautiful region with lots of hills, mountains and 170kms of coastline. Definitely a part of Italy I would love to live in! Marche is particularly special because it isn’t very touristy. Some people call it the next Tuscany, but so far most of those who have enjoyed what this region has to offer are Italians.
Like all Italian regions, Le Marche is famous for particular produce and products. There are types of pasta only made there, like maccheroncini di Campofilone or eggless tagliolini known as hairy tagliolini (tajuli pelusi in the the local dialect). There are also wines and types of cheese, prosciutto, other salumi, legumes and potatoes specific to the region.
Ascolana olives.
However, the most widely known produce from this part of Italy has to be the green olives from Ascoli Piceno. Known as Ascolana olives this olive cultivar is grown in Marche and Tuscany. Apparently, you can also find it in California, where they cultivate it for olive oil!
The most famous dish the Marchigiani make with Ascolana olives is an appetizer of stuffed and deep-fried olives known as olive all’ascolana. The stuffing is usually meat and was originally meat leftover from parties and celebrations! Interestingly, this appetizer was invented around 1800 and American food writer, Mimi Sheraton, featured it in her 2015 book 1,000 foods to eat before you die!
Of course, deep fried isn’t the only way locals use Ascolana olives. They add them to other vegetables in side dishes, they add them to a type of focaccia called ‘il chichiripieno’ and to a soup made with chickling vetch (cicerchia). Plus of course these olives are used in meat dishes and in pasta sauces. The most well known of the latter is this olive and tuna spaghetti.
A recipe for days of abstinence and midnight!
Italians often refer to recipes like this spaghetti all’Ascolana as a ‘piatto di magro’, meaning lean dish. Lean dishes are those that they eat on days of abstinence like during Lent or on Christmas Eve. In fact, there’s even a category of recipes referred to as ‘la cucina di magro’. These dishes are mostly all meatless except for the use of capons to make broth.
When fasting for Lent, Italians mostly eat dried fish like baccala, canned tuna or anchovies, lots of soups with legumes and pulses and plenty of pasta dishes. One of the most famous of the latter is spaghetti alla colatura di alici (with Italian fish sauce).
When researching versions of this olive and tuna spaghetti, I also came across the expression ‘spaghetti di mezzanotte’ meaning midnight spaghetti. As I am sure you can imagine, this refers to spaghetti recipes that can be whipped up quickly when hunger strikes at midnight.
Our spaghetti di mezzanotte is usually ‘aglio, olio, peperoncino’ or ‘alla puttanesca’. However, after making this recipe, I think it will become another contender for late night forays into the kitchen. It’s really easy to make and the ingredients are pantry staples.
Other ingredients in spaghetti all’Ascolana.
As I mentioned above this recipe is pretty simple and easy to make. Apart from the spaghetti, canned tuna and olives, all you need is tomato passata (purée), garlic, anchovies, parsley and some peperoncino (red chilli pepper) for a bit of a kick. Leave the chilli out if you don’t like spice.
When cooking with canned tuna I often like to use oil packed tuna fillets. Like other canned tuna this can be found in jars or cans. It’s a bit more expensive than the regular stuff but I think more flavourful. Use tuna that’s been packed in olive oil not water or brine. Apparently, oil packed tuna has less sodium and you can use the oil in the can too. It’s full of nutrients from the tuna.
The pasta.
Traditional pasta all’Ascolana is made with spaghetti or bucatini. However, I’ve seen recipes with ziti and penne as well. I used spaghetti from one of my favourite organic pasta makers, Mancini. This company is located in Marche, so I felt their spaghetti was a perfect combo for this Marchigiano recipe.
The spaghetti was made from Turanicum wheat, so it’s a bit darker than traditional spaghetti. Although it lightens up in colour when cooked. Turanicum wheat is an organic heritage grain that’s popular in Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries, where its called Khorasan. It’s lower in gluten than the normal pasta wheat but not gluten free. However, it’s rich in many essential nutrients including protein, dietary fibre and several B vitamins. It has a slightly nutty flavour which I really like!
You can find out more about pasta Mancini in my post abut my visit to them.
Let me know what you think!
Whichever, kind of pasta you use for this olive and tuna spaghetti all’Ascolana, I’m sure you’ll really enjoy this easy recipe. In fact, it could well become one of your midnight spaghettis too!
If you make this recipe I’d love to hear how it turns out and if you liked it. Please leave a comment here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Buon appetito!
Why not save this recipe for later?
If you want to save this olive and tuna spaghetti recipe for later, you can print it, bookmark this page or save it to Pinterest.
Want to know more about my life in Italy? Why not subscribe to my newsletter? New subscribers get a free series of recipe e-books too!
Other recipes with canned tuna
- Garganeli pasta with tuna Bolognese
- Elbow pasta with cannellini beans and tuna
- Pasta with tuna carbonara
- Fusilli with black olive pesto and tuna
If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of my autumn/winter pasta recipes cookbook!?
Beth says
I can always use a recipe that I can whip up at midnight and that uses so few, yet tasty, ingredients. I'm intrigued by that pasta Mancini, too.
Lauren Michael Harris says
I never think to use tuna in pasta, but this sounds so good! I also love the addition of olives - some of my favorite flavors.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Oh wow this looks phenomenal! I so love this recipe so much! Thank you so much for sharing!
Anindya Sundar Basu says
Whenever I jump into your blog I check out the new recipe of Pasta and for once I have never been disappointed. Keep up the good work.
Farrukh Aziz says
I love pastas, and tunas as well! This was such a magnificent recipe, we all loved it! It was finished off in no time! Making this soon again!
Elaine says
I've been always enjoying the combination of tuna and olives, and using them with pasta just never disappoints. It is great to know the origins of the dish now.
Natàlia says
This looks and sounds delicious. I will definitely be making it this weekend. I always struggle to find good pasta recipes, so this will be a treat!
Amy Nash says
YUM! This takes me right back to Italy! Love the big, fresh flavors of this unique pasta dish!
Jere Cassidy says
I never think of tuna and pasta but this recipe does sound delicious and I love how easy it is to make.
Angela says
I love salty briny dishes and these ingredients with pasta is just my thing - love it!
Tammy says
I love the combo of the tuna and anchovies in this..such an easy way to kick up pasta. The olives are also a delicious addition.
Deborah says
This recipe has been calling to me, as I've seen it on Facebook and other places lately. I enjoy tuna, but it might be a hard sell to my husband. I love your idea of making it a late-night kitchen dish. Sounds perfectly lovely in my book. With a nice glass of wine, please. What wine would you recommend with it?
Kathryn says
This sounds fabulous! Love all of these ingredients and it looks so easy and delicious. Perfect for dinner tonight, thank you!
Jenny says
This spaghetti is lovely! Your recipe is easy and fuss-free, beautiful in color, and healthy. Thanks so much; we will definitely make it.
Chef Dennis says
Hmm yum! I am so excited to taste this recipe from Ascoli Piceno province. This Spaghetti all’Ascolana is making me super hungry!
Katherine says
I love all the bold flavors in this pasta!
Claudia Lamascolo says
My mom use to make this when I was growing up and we loved it I am going to try this recipe tonight, we always have fish on Friday! thanks
Alex says
Beautiful recipe! I've had a tin of tuna sitting in my pantry for a while, so I tried it out with some Spaghetti. Delicious!
Anjali says
This spaghetti was so comforting and delicious! Super easy to make and the perfect weeknight meal!
Claire says
I love pasta and this looks SO good! Will surely try this very soon. Thanks for this!