Looking for an authentic Sicilian spaghetti recipe that bursts with fresh flavors and vibrant colors? Look no further! This Pasta alla Carrettiera is a traditional Sicilian dish that blends simple, fresh ingredients into an unforgettable meal. Perfect for those who appreciate bold flavors and the essence of Mediterranean cooking.
Love pasta? You’ll want to check out our best pasta cookbook:
Pasta Affair: 50 Authentic Italian Recipes
Seductive strands of pasta and sumptuous sauces… Are you ready to indulge in an unforgettable Pasta Affair? It’s the best pasta cookbook for beginners and a must-have for any serious lover of Italian food, featuring over 50 classic pasta recipes you can make at home!
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Can you handle this pasta?? Watch Flavia Diamante prepare the incomparable Carrettiera Pasta recipe in this video, filmed in Italy!
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What is Pasta alla Carrettiera?
Originating from Sicily, this dish gets its name from the carrettieri (cart drivers) who prepared this meal while traveling. It’s a perfect combination of uncooked olive oil and garlic, pecorino cheese, a touch of spice and sometimes fresh tomatoes, making it both easy and super healthy!
Let’s dive into this easy Sicilian spaghetti recipe that can be on your table in just 15 minutes!
The Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is most nutritious when you consume it without heating it! This Sicilian spaghetti recipe is perfect for enjoying not only the flavor of quality extra-virgin olive oil, but all of the nutrients that it carries with it.
The Garlic and Chili Pepper
You want to really feel the garlic and chili pepper in this dish—fresh and uncooked. Remove the center ‘germ’ from the garlic cloves as they are sometimes more bitter. We use Calabrian chili peppers for this dish. You’ll really want to use pepper to taste—even Calabrian chilis can vary significantly in spice level.
Add the minced garlic and chili pepper to the olive oil to create the base of your pasta condiment.
The Pecorino Cheese
Pecorino cheese is another must in this authentic Italian pasta recipe. But how to add it? Shaved? Finely ground? As a sauce? There’s no one right way, but we prefer to transform the pecorino cheese into a ‘Cacio e Pepe‘ style paste. We use semi-aged pecorino cheese because it melts more easily. Simply drizzle the hot water you’ve used to cook your pasta slowly into finely ground pecorino cheese and mix until you’ve created a smooth paste.
That’s right! We want a paste, not a sauce. When the pasta is cooked, we simply toss the spaghetti in with the garlic and pepper oil and add the paste to the pasta along with another ladle of hot pasta water and mix (off the heat). This technique prevents the cheese from getting too hot and coagulating into a stringy mess.
The Tomatoes
In one zone of Siciliy, called la Valle dei Platani, tomatoes are also added to this dish— we love the bites of sweetness that the tomato adds, which breaks up some of the other intense flavors. The goal of most Italian tomato sauces is to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes, which means starting with sweet, ripe and tasty tomatoes.
Use cherry, grape or plum tomatoes. Cherry and grape tomatoes tend to have thin skins that don’t need to be peeled. However, if the tomato is larger or has a thicker skin, score the peels and boil them in a minute in the pasta water. This make peeling them a breeze.
That’s it! Check out our recipe card below for a step-by-step guide.
Pasta Affair: 50 Authentic Italian Recipes
Seductive strands of pasta and sumptuous sauces… Are you ready to indulge in an unforgettable Pasta Affair? It’s the best pasta cookbook for beginners and a must-have for any serious lover of Italian food, featuring over 50 classic pasta recipes you can make at home!
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Fresh Sicilian Spaghetti Recipe | Carrettiera Pasta
Equipment
- 1 skillet or sauce pan
- 1 Large Pot to cook the pasta
- 1 large bowl to mix the ingredients
- 1 small bowl to mix the pecorino paste
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 minced fresh chili pepper or to taste
- 5 oz pecorino cheese preferably semi-aged; finely grated to a powder
- 11 oz fresh tomatoes optional; cherry, grape or your choice
- 11 oz spaghetti
Toasted Breadcrumbs ("Poor Man's Parmigiano")- OPTIONAL
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 clove fresh garlic minced
- 1 filet anchovies optional; to melt in the oil before toasting the breadcrumbs in the pan
Instructions
Prepare the Tomatoes
- Dice the fresh tomatoes (skins on)… …Or, if using bigger tomatoes with tougher skins, score the tomatoes. Then, boil the tomatoes for a minute in the water you will use to cook the pasta. Peel the tomatoes, then dice them. Set the tomatoes aside.
Toast the Breadcrumbs
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan. Add an extra minced garlic clove and the breadcrumbs. Toast them over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Set aside.
Cook the Pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente according to the package instructions. In the meantime…
Prepare the Fresh Condiment
- Mince the garlic and chili pepper. Combine them with the olive oil in a large bowl and let them infuse together off the heat, allowing the flavors to meld gently.
Prepare the Pecorino Paste
- Drizzle hot water from the cooking pasta into the finely grated pecorino cheese and mix vigorously. Add just enough water to create a smooth and creamy paste. The paste will resemble ricotta cheese, but creamier!
Finish the Pasta alla Carrettiera
- Drain the pasta and mix it with the garlic and pepper-infused oil (off the heat). Add the pecorino cheese paste along with another ladle of hot pasta water. Mix until the pasta is coated with a creamy sauce. Add the tomatoes, top with breadcrumbs (optional) and serve!
