Spaghetti alla Checca Recipe from Rome

5 from 40 votes

Spaghetti alla Checca Recipe from Rome

This simple but very tasty Italian vegetarian pasta recipe from Rome is very quick and easy to make. I added burrata but you can leave it out for a vegan or dairy-free version.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Central Italy, Italian, Mediterranean, Rome & Lazio

Keyword: burrata, olives, Roman cuisine, spaghetti, summer pasta, tomatoes

Servings:

Calories: 520kcal

Author: Jacqui

Ingredients

400 g spaghetti (14oz) I used spaghettoni from pastificio Sorrentinno, Gragnano
400 g tomatoes (14oz) fresh and ripe. I used piccadilly tomatoes from Sicily
100 g pitted olives (3.5oz) I used taggiasca olives
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 handful fresh basil
1 handful fresh parsley
3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 burrata (fresh)
salt for pasta and to taste
Freshly ground black pepper. to taste

Instructions

Cut the tomatoes into cubes and leave them in a colander to naturally lose some of their water, without removing the inner flesh with the seeds.
Chop the parsley and tear the basil leaves into pieces. Roughly chop the pitted olives.
Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet. Let it heat gently, over a very low heat for about a minute. Add a tablespoon of chopped parsley, 4-5 chopped basil leaves and a pinch of fennel seeds and the olives
After a minute, add the chopped tomatoes to the mixture. Stir, season with salt, cover and cook slowly, over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Turn off the heat and season with a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Add some more chopped fresh parsley and basil. Let the sauce rest while you cook the pasta. It helps to enhance the flavours!
Throw the spaghetti into the boiling salted water and cook al dente according to the instructions on the packet. When the pasta is ready save a cup of the cooking water and drain it.
Add the pasta to the sauce while it is still very hot. If the sauce seems dry, add some of the pasta cooking water or another couple of tablespoons of oil. If using a serving dish as I did, turn the pasta alla checca out into a serving bowl and then add the burrata. Sprinkle with more fresh parsley and basil. Serve immediately!

Notes

You can use other types of pasta for this dish. I have seen recipes with pasta tubes such as penne, rigatoni, fusilli etc. If you don't have burrata you could use a fresh mozzarella, preferably di bufala. For a dairy-free or vegan version leave out the burrata/mozzarella.

Nutrition