Pasta with Anchovy Sauce

This easy recipe for pasta with anchovy sauce will make an anchovy believer out of you! A fast and flavorful supper with a rich taste.

Why we love this recipe

Okay, before I get to this recipe for pasta with walnut and anchovy sauce, let me cut right to the chase by saying for most of my life I was NOT an anchovy person. 

And I am still not an anchovy person when it comes to eating whole anchovies. I make the Southern husband open the anchovy can so I don’t accidentally get any anchovy oil on my fingers.

And when someone else even suggests getting anchovies on even a portion of a pizza that I will be sharing I give them a look that suggests that ordering anchovies on pizza might be the end of a beautiful friendship.

What am I doing putting anchovies in perfectly good spaghetti then? 

It turns out that when you cook with anchovies in a certain way…chopping them up and letting them melt into sauce or salad dressing, they add a salty, silky punch that tastes nothing like fish and more like cheese. This is something I learned from a Caesar salad dressing recipe, and then I needed to muster up my courage and try it on pasta.

So in the case of this anchovy pasta recipe, when you melt those chopped anchovies with garlic and olive oil and add some walnuts and Parmesan cheese and toss the whole thing with pasta…YOU TURN INTO AN ANCHOVY PERSON.

Because this supper was absolutely, perfectly, mesmerizingly delicious…one of those pasta dishes where you twirl the first bite around your fork, put it in your mouth, and then have to close your eyes at the sheer heaven of it all.  

And did I mention it’s one of those recipes that takes less than half an hour. Yep, a half hour to pasta heaven. But first…

What are anchovies?

Anchovies are little tiny fish, and while you can find them as whole fish if you look hard enough, they are most commonly found as teeny boneless fish filets packed in olive oil.

And while they can be one of those controversial ingredients (looking at you too, cilantro) if they are minced and melted into other ingredients they add a savory, salty flavor punch that is not one bit fishy.

Ingredients you need

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Anchovies: You can find your anchovies near the canned tuna fish in yur grocery store.
• Pasta: We like a long pasta like spaghetti or linguine for this recipe, but it will worth with any type of pasta so use your favorite!
• Walnuts: You can find walnuts in the baking aisle. We usually use chopped walnuts but you can also use whole walnuts if you prefer.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

How to make this recipe

STEP 1: Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Scoop out a cup of pasta water before you drain it.

STEP 2: While the pasta is cooking, brown some walnuts in a skillet over medium high heat. Scoop them out as soon as they start turning brown and set them aside.

STEP 3: Anchovy time! Add some olive oil to the skillet, turn the heat to medium, add some garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Now add in some chopped anchovies!

STEP 4: Smoosh the anchovies with a fork until they begin to fall apart. Add the walnuts, give it all a stir and take it off the heat.

STEP 5: Add about a quarter cup of that saved pasta water to the skillet and turn the heat back on to medium. Add the pasta, give it all a toss, then add some parmesan cheese and parsley and give it another toss. Drizzle in more pasta water if you think it needs it. Add a pinch of pepper, one more toss and serve it up!

Recipe FAQs

What does the pasta water do?

When pasta cooks, it releases starch into the water (that is what makes it a little cloudy). And since hopefully you have thoroughly salted your water, at the end of the pasta cooking time you have a starchy, salty water that is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for making or loosening up a light pasta sauce. It’s truly magical.

Can I substitute anchovy paste for anchovies?

You can! Use a half teaspoon of anchovy paste for each anchovy (so for this recipe, you need two teaspoons).

Have a question that I didn’t cover?

Leave your question in the Comments section below and I will answer pronto!

Anchovies, I owe you an apology.  I am truly, deeply sorry from the bottom of my heart.  I still want my pizza plain though.  Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Want to round out your meal?

This pasta dish is calling out for a veggie dish on the side, and we love this recipe for asparagus with Parmesan bread crumbs. If you are more partial to green beans, give this green bean and cherry tomato salad a whirl!

And since we have been so brave around the anchovies, let’s celebrate with some easy apple cake for dessert!

Other easy pasta recipes we love

Looking for more pasta inspiration? Here is our complete collection of pasta (and pizza!) recipes.

Could you leave us a review?

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.

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Pasta with Anchovy Sauce

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This easy recipe for pasta with anchovy sauce will make an anchovy believer out of you! A fast and flavorful supper with a rich taste.

• Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup shelled chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
• 8 ounces spaghetti or linguine
• 1/4 cup minced parsley
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

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Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Scoop out a cup of pasta water before you drain it.
2. Meanwhile, put the walnuts in a skillet over medium high heat until they start to toast.  Scoop them out and give them a quick chop, and set aside.
3. Add the oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat.  Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds and then add the anchovies.
4. Smoosh the anchovies with twith a fork until they begin to fall apart and melt into the oil. Add the walnuts, stir quickly and take the skillet off the heat.
5. Add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the pan with the walnuts and anchovies, and turn the heat back up. Add the pasta and toss, and then add the cheese and parsley, adding more pasta water if you think it needs more sauce.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Ladle into warm bowls, sprinkle a little more parsley on top and serve!

Notes

• This is a rich pasta dish, so I usually make about 2 ounces of pasta per person.  So if you are super hungry, you might want to increase the quantities a bit!

• • Anchovies: You can find your anchovies near the canned tuna fish in yur grocery store.

• • Pasta: We like a long pasta like spaghetti or linguine for this recipe, but it will worth with any type of pasta so use your favorite!

• • Walnuts: You can find walnuts in the baking aisle. We usually use chopped walnuts but you can also use whole walnuts if you prefer.