Spaghetti all’Assassina

Spaghetti all’Assassina is one of those dishes I’ve been fascinated by for a long time.

Maybe it’s the name.
Maybe it’s the fact that it breaks every pasta rule you’re taught.
Or maybe it’s the idea that a single pan, tomatoes, and a bit of controlled chaos can turn into something so bold.

Either way, I finally gave it a go — and it fully lived up to the hype.

What makes it different

Unlike most pasta recipes, this one skips the big pot of boiling water entirely.

There’s no gentle simmering.
No tossing pasta into sauce at the end.

Instead, the spaghetti cooks directly in the sauce, catching and charring as it goes. The pasta absorbs flavour gradually, while the sauce thickens and intensifies into something almost jammy.

This isn’t a sauce you coat pasta with.
It’s one the pasta fights its way through.

A quick note on where it comes from

Spaghetti all’Assassina comes from Bari, in southern Italy.
It’s believed to have originated in home kitchens and trattorias, born out of impatience, hunger, and a love for spicy, tomato-forward food.

The name “Assassina” is thought to refer to both the aggressive cooking method and the heat of the dish. It’s rustic, unapologetic, and entirely process-driven.

Why the sauce matters

Because the pasta cooks directly in the sauce, the quality of the tomato base is crucial.

For this version, we used Veeba Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce. It’s made with 90% tomatoes, along with garlic and herbs, which makes it a strong, well-balanced starting point for this technique.

That said, this recipe doesn’t depend on one specific product.
Any good-quality tomato sauce, passata, or even tomato purée will work — you may just need to adjust salt, chilli, or acidity slightly.

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Ingredients (Serves 2)

• Spaghetti – 180–200 g

• Olive oil – 3 tbsp

• Garlic – 4 cloves, thinly sliced

• Red chilli flakes – 1½–2 tsp (adjust to taste)

• Tomato sauce / Arrabbiata sauce – 1 cup

• Hot water – 1½–2 cups

• Salt – to taste

• Optional: a pinch of sugar (only if tomatoes are very acidic)

Method

1. Prepare a tomato stock
   Mix 2–3 tablespoons of tomato sauce with hot water and a pinch of salt. Keep this warm.

2. Build the base
   Heat olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan. Add garlic and cook until lightly golden.

3. Add heat
   Add chilli flakes and cook briefly until fragrant.

4. Cook the sauce
   Add the remaining tomato sauce and cook it hard for a minute or two so it thickens slightly.

5. Add the pasta
   Place the dry spaghetti directly into the pan.

6. Ladle and char
   Add a ladle of tomato stock and let the pasta cook undisturbed until it catches slightly. Scrape it back.

7. Repeat
   Continue adding stock gradually, letting the pasta crisp and loosen each time, until fully cooked.

8. Finish
   The final sauce should be thick, intense, and clinging tightly to the pasta, with light charring in places.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.