Spaghetti alla Checca Recipe from Rome
This simple but very tasty Italian vegetarian pasta recipe from Rome is very quick and easy to make and perfect for summer meals. I added burrata but you can leave it out for a vegan or dairy-free version.
Servings: 4
Calories: 764kcal
Ingredients
- 14 ounces spaghetti I used spaghettoni from pastificio Sorrentinno, Gragnano
- 14 ounces tomatoes fresh and ripe. I used piccadilly tomatoes from Sicily. Large tomatoes need to be peeled.
- 3.5 ounces pitted olives or olive tapenade. I used chopped taggiasca olives
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 14 ounces burrata (fresh) or more if required
- 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 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 and a drizzle of olive oil. 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.
If using large sauce tomatoes, you will need to blanch and peel them as they have thicker skins.
This recipe makes a delicious pasta salad when made with short pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 764kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 399mg | Potassium: 478mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1730IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 575mg | Iron: 2mg