Spaghetti alla Checca Recipe from Rome

Spaghetti alla checca is a simple but tasty authentic vegetarian Italian pasta recipe from Rome. It's fresh and easy to make and perfect for warm weather meals! I served mine with burrata. But, you can make it without for a vegan or dairy-free version.

Spaghetti alla checca con burrata

I found this simple but delicious spaghetti alla checca recipe in a huge Italian cook book I have. It has 5,000 regional recipes, not all pasta! However, when I searched for this recipe online (in Italian, of course!), I found some different versions!! Very common, I know, with many Italian recipes.  The thing is that each version of pasta alla checca claims to be the original recipe from Rome!! So, which is the original version?

I’m afraid I don’t know! However, since some versions are almost identical to vermicelli di Positano but made with mozzarella like pasta Caprese, I decided to go with the one in my cookbook. 

So, unlike some recipes you may find called pasta alla checca, this one isn’t served cold or made with marinated raw herbs and veggies. Instead, you need to do a little cooking. But, the cooking is minimal, which makes this a great recipe for summer and weeknights.

Why is this recipe called alla checca?

Apparently, this recipe dates back to the 60s and 70s. At least, that’s when the earliest published recipes with this name appeared. There are different hypothesis on what ‘alla checca’ means.

Some say it was the name of a restaurant , ‘la sora checca’, which doesn’t exist anymore. Others say it refers to a woman called Francesca, checca being a diminutive form of the name. And, there are other theories!

The only addition I made to the recipe in my Italian cookbook was to serve my spaghetti alla checca with burrata! Since mozzarella is included in some versions, I thought burrata would be a delicious creamy addition. It was!!!

What is burrata?

Burrata is one of the most famous cheeses in Puglia (Apulia), Southern Italy. If you like mozzarella but have never tried burrata, I suggest you get your hands on some asap! Many Italian grocers sell it and it can even be bought online!

Burrata is usually made by hand. The outside of this deliciousness is mozzarella. It even looks like a soft mozzarella. But, the inside is stracciatella cheese and cream. This cheese has a rich buttery flavour, hence the name , and is absolutely divine eaten in a salad with tomatoes or used in cooking. I also love it with pasta and on pizza!

Those of my readers who have eaten burrata will understand what I’m on about!  However, if burrata isn't available, you can use fresh mozzarella balls.

Burrata has a rich buttery flavour, hence the name

The pasta.

Spaghetti alla checca is most often made with….spaghetti! But I’ve seen other pasta alla checca recipes with short pasta like penne or rigatoni, as well as farfalle or fusilli.  I used spaghetti I got when I visited Gragnano near Naples. This spaghetti was made by an artisan pasta company called Pastificio Sorrentino. Pastificio means pasta maker in Italian!

This company produces 2 ranges of pasta. One is sold under the L’Oro di Gragnano label and is a certified Pasta di Gragnano IGP. The other is an organic pasta range made with organic durum wheat semolina and it’s sold under the L’Anima di Gragnano label. The former is the type of pasta I used for my spaghetti alla checca.

You can read all about what Pasta di Gragnano IGP means in my post about my visit to Gragnano. But in short, Gragnano is a town near  Naples. It’s been a centre of dried pasta production for about 500 years!! Pasta with the Pasta di Gragnano IGP certification is made under strict production and ingredient quality regulations imposed by the EU. It’s like saying DOC for wine!

Other ingredients in this spaghetti alla checca

Apart from the spaghetti and the burrata, this vegetarian pasta recipe includes just a few ingredients, namely olives, ripe fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and parsley and fennel seeds.

Olives: I used olives from Liguria called taggiasca olives (also cailletier). These delicious multi-colored olives from the Alpes-Maritimes area are the olives the French use for salad Niçoise. However, the recipe calls for finely minced green olives (polpa di olive verdi), which is like a tapenade or paté. This can be bought ready-made or homemade.

Tomatoes: You can use peeled or unpeeled fresh tomatoes, not canned. It’s best to choose deep red ripe tomatoes. I prefer smaller types but not cherry tomatoes. I used piccadilly tomatoes from Sicily. But, you can use San Marzano or other sauce tomatoes. However, larger sauce tomatoes will need to be blanched and peeled as they have thicker skins.

Olive oil: This recipe calls for 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to sauté the sauce and a little more when serving. Extra virgin olive oil is best as it enriches the flavor of the other ingredients and is healthier!

Herbs and spices: In addition to the olives, this version of spaghetti alla checca has fresh parsley and fragrant basil leaves, as well as fennel seeds.

Making this spaghetti alla checca.

As I mentioned above, this is a pretty fast recipe to make. In fact, it takes about as long as boiling the water and cooking the pasta does!  The burrata is added just before serving and cut open in the serving dish. This cool creamy cheese adds a lot flavour and texture to this spaghetti alla checca! However, for a vegetarian or diary free version, leave out the burrata! It will still be delicious!

Step by Step Instructions.

Prepare the ingredients: Chop the pitted olives. Chop the basil leaves into largish pieces. and the parsley more finely. Cut the tomatos into quarters. If using large sauce tomatoes, you will need to blanch them in hot water, peel them and remove most the seeds and liquid. Large tomatoes will also need to be cut into smaller pieces.

Step 1) Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta, add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.

Step 2) Gently cook some of the parsley and basil, the fennel seeds and the olives in heated olive oil in a large skillet. Keep the heat low to avoid burning the herbs.

Step 3) Add the tomatoes and sauté covered for 10-15 minutes until they soften. Set tomatoes aside and season with a bit of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Then, add some more fresh basil and parsley.

Step 4) Cook the spaghetti al dente accoding to the package instructions. When the pasta is ready, save a cup of the cooking water, drain and add the hot pasta to the tomatoes and olives

Step 5) Mix the cooked spaghetti with the condiment. If it seems dry, add some pasta water or a sprinkling of more olive oil. Serve with burrata and more basil and parsley.

What to do with pasta alla checca.

If you have leftovers that haven't been mixed with burrata or mozzarella, you can reheat by frying in butter or oil until the spaghetti crisps a littl or bake with some mozzarella on top.

Leftovers with burrata or mozzarella on top are delicious served at room temperature as a pasta salad!

Let me know what you think.

If you do try this Roman pasta recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your feedback means a lot to me!

Buon Appetito!

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NB. This recipe has recently been updated with new photos and information.

Other traditional recipes from Rome

1. Spaghetti alla Carbonara
2. Bucatini all'arabbiata
3. Pasta cacio e pepe
4. Pasta alla papalina

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!?