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–+ servings

Vesuviana Pasta Recipe (Spaghetti alla Vesuviana)

PIATTO RECIPES
Naples' best kept secret: Spaghetti alla Vesuviana! 🔥 This easy pasta recipe is an explosion of flavors—named for the famous volcano whose eruption was responsible for the destruction of Pompei.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Caper and Olive Soak 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • 1 large skillet or saucepan to cook the sauce
  • 1 Large Pot to cook the pasta

Ingredients
  

  • 11 oz spaghetti
  • 28 oz tomato purée or crushed whole canned tomatoes (traditional here are "pomodori del piennolo" from the region)
  • 3 oz pitted green olives
  • 3 oz pitted black olives
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp capers preferably salt-cured nonpareil capers
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
  • ½ large red onion minced
  • 4 fresh red chili pepper minced; such as Calabrese
  • 1 tbsp dry oregano Sicilian if you can find it
  • 3 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese finely grated
  • 12 oz fresh mozzarella fior di latte ideally

Instructions
 

Soak the Olives and Capers

  • Rinse and soak olives and capers for at least 30 minutes to remove excess salt or vinegar from preservation. Then, pat the capers dry.

Sauté the Aromatics (Make a Soffritto)

  • Add a generous amount of olive oil to a skillet over medium heat and add the whole cloves of garlic (smashed). Sauté the garlic until it turns golden, then remove the cloves and discard them.
    5 tbsp olive oil, 3 cloves fresh garlic
  • Add the capers to the garlic-infused oil and fry until they turn color. Remove the fried capers for use later.
    2 tbsp capers
  • To the caper-infused oil, add the pepper and the onion. Cook the onion until it is tender and translucent.
    4 fresh red chili pepper, ½ large red onion

Add the Tomato Purée

  • Add the tomato sauce to the hot oil and simmer. In the meantime...
    28 oz tomato purée

Partially Cook the Pasta

  • Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water for ¾ of the cook time called for to make al dente pasta.
    11 oz spaghetti

Finish Cooking the Pasta in the Sauce

  • Add the partially-cooked pasta to the sauce along with the olives and finish cooking the pasta to al dente in the sauce.
    3 oz pitted green olives, 3 oz pitted black olives
  • Mix in the fried capers, oregano and cheeses to the finished pasta and serve!
    1 tbsp dry oregano, 3 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 12 oz fresh mozzarella

Video

Keyword cheesy, pasta
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