A quick and delicious pasta made from pantry ingredients like anchovies, garlic, and capers. Add parsley and chili flakes if you'd like. It's packed with flavor and easy to make. Midnight Pasta is the perfect last minute meal!
There's a popular New York Times recipe called Midnight Pasta. It's actually a category of recipes and they have a few versions.
There's a midnight pasta with anchovies and capers. One that adds tomato paste. Another with roasted garlic. All delicious. I've made them many times, changing the proportions and ingredients to our cravings. Today's recipe is our adaptation of their garlic, anchovy, and capers pasta.
The idea behind a "midnight pasta" is that it's an easy meal that can made on a whim, or last minute.
It's a pasta that you can prepare when you want to clean out the fridge or if you're back from a trip and there's not much in the fridge.
It's also a late night pasta, the perfect meal after a night out on town and you're craving something with flavor! It's an easy dish and endlessly forgivable and adaptable one.
Midnight Pasta can be a stand alone meal or topped with protein (we love high quality canned tuna in olive oil, crispy bacon, or scallops). Or you can serve it with a veggie or meat side like Pipikaula or Garlic Shrimp.
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Ingredients
This recipe is great because it uses all pantry ingredients. You can make it last minute or when you don't have the energy to prepare a full dinner, but also don't feel like take out or delivery.
Here's what you'll need:
- Angel hair pasta or spaghetti
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Capers
- Anchovies
- Parsley, optional - parsley is the only "fresh" item in this recipe, but it's optional. I like to add parsley or some type of herb to make it feel bright.
- Chili flakes, optional
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Now let's get cooking :
Add the olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Then add the minced garlic and capers.
Saute the garlic and capers for 2 minutes until fragrant (but not browned).
Then add the tin of anchovies to the pan (discard the anchovy oil in the tin).
Cook for another minute until the anchovies mostly "melt" into the sauce. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Note: If you want the anchovies to completely melt into the sauce, then keep cooking the sauce for an extra minute. Sometimes I like to leave the anchovies in bigger pieces, other times I like it completely melted. There is no right or wrong, it's just personal preference.
In a separate pot, boil the water and cook the angel hair pasta according to direction on the box.
Once the pasta is finished cooking, use tongs to remove the pasta directly to the pan with the sauce. Add a splash of the pasta water to the pot and turn the heat back on to medium heat.
Use the tongs to gently mix the pasta with the sauce. The starch from the pasta water will help bind the sauce to the pasta.
Divide the finished pasta between two bowls. Top with the chopped parsley and chili flakes. Eat and enjoy ^_^
Substitutions and Variations
This recipe is packed with flavor but also very adaptable. Here are some substitutions and variations we enjoy:
- Different pasta shapes - we use angel hair pasta, but spaghetti is the most popular shape for this recipe. Bucatini or fettuccine are also good shapes! Basically any type of long pasta is ideal.
- Herbs - the recipe calls for parsley, but you can do chopped basil or mint instead. If you're feeling ambitious (or have a lot of herbs to use up), use a mix of two or three herbs. So tasty.
- Tuna or bacon - top the pasta with high quality canned tuna in oil to make this a meal with protein. It's also great with a generous sprinkle of bacon (pan fried separately and chopped into large pieces).
- Spinach - toss in fresh spinach at the end and let it wilt. A nice way to add vegetables (and color!) to the pasta.
- Spinach - add a squeeze of lemon right before serving. It gives the dish a nice brightness.
Think of this recipe as the "base" and from there you can add and change endlessly ^_^
Equipment
All you need is one pot to cook the pasta, and one pan to make the sauce.
Storage
Leftover keep for 2-3 days in the fridge. Store in a sealed container. Reheat in the microwave in 30 second increments (add a splash of water to the pasta before microwaving to keep the pasta from drying out).
Top Tip
Remove the pasta from the pot one minute before it is finished cooking. Eg. If it says to cook the angel hair pasta for 3 minutes, then just cook it for 2 minutes.
Finish cooking the angel hair pasta directly in the sauce (don't forget to also add some of the pasta cooking water to the pan). If you do it this way, the sauce clings to the pasta better and the final dish is more flavorful and cohesive.
FAQ
Oh yes. We love anchovies and that's the main flavor of this dish. The garlic and capers are here to support but the anchovy is the star.
Very easy. It's great for someone who doesn't cook much but wants to learn. Low effort and high reward.
If you need to make a substitution, this recipe will still be delicious!
It doesn't require much prep work (aside from mincing the garlic which we do in a mini food processor to save time) and chopping parsley.
Because this is an easy to make pasta that can be prepared on a whim. It's great for when you get home late at night and want to making something quick, easy, and most importantly...delicious!
Midnight Pasta Recipe
Midnight Pasta
Ingredients
- ⅓ pound angel hair pasta (or spaghetti)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 head garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained
- 1 tin anchovies
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoons chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Then add the minced garlic and capers. Saute for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Then add the anchovies (leave the anchovy oil in the tin) to the pan. Cook for another minute until the anchovies mostly "melt" into the sauce. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- In a separate pot, boil the water and cook the angel hair pasta according to direction on the box.
- Once the pasta is finished cooking, use tongs to remove the pasta directly to the pan with the sauce. Add a splash of the pasta water to the pot and turn the heat back on to low.
- Use the tongs to gently mix the pasta with the sauce. The starch from the pasta water will help bind the sauce to the pasta.
- Divide between two bowls. Top with the chopped parsley and chili flakes. Eat and enjoy ^_^
Notes
Nutrition
Related
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Delicious! I was looking for a replacement recipe after I cancelled my subscription to a certain app and this is it!
We use the oil from the anchovies because we like the extra flavor and I add some lemon zest before serving and it is *chefs kiss*.
Thank you!
That sounds delicious! Thank you so much, Rachael ^_^
Kathy
Have you tried using sardines instead of anchovies?
Aloha Lisa! I haven't yet but like that idea! Will try next time 🙂
- Kathy