She’s a killer… spaghettiiiiiTomato power, but no creamDynamite, it’ll make you screamGuaranteed to blow your mind…Everytime.Alright, Queen didn’t write those exact lyrics, but The Pasta Queen wrote a version of this recipe and that’s good enough. If it weren’t for her, I don’t know that I’d have discovered this super surprising dish, that breaks SO many rules for Italian pasta cookery. Dry pasta, charred in tomato sauce and cooked like risotto?! I’m not sure how the Italians took ownership of this, but I’m glad they did because it’s incredibly satisfying and delicious. Deep, tomatoey flavor, great amount of spice, crispy bits of pasta… what’s not to love? Go off, Queen! Time for Assassin’s Spaghetti to reign supreme.
1-5tbspcrushed red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili pasteto taste
1 1/2cupstomato puree or passatadivided
Salt to taste
1pounddry spaghetti
Instructions
Make the tomato bone broth. Heat a medium saucepan over medium low heat, then add the olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the tomato paste and cook for about a minute, smashing the paste into the pan and stirring. Add the bone broth, sugar and salt and bring to a simmer. Taste and add more salt if needed, then keep on a low heat, ready for the pasta cookery.
Get ready for the s’getti. To a large, wide, nonstick saute pan (as wide as the pasta is long) over medium low heat, add the olive oil, garlic and chili flakes. When the garlic and chilis start to sizzle, stir and cook for a minute, then add one cup of the tomato puree, season with salt to taste, turn the heat to medium and bring to a simmer.
Char and cook the s’getti. Add the dry spaghetti in as thin a layer as you can into your pan (make sure it’s all going the same direction) and let simmer in the tomato sauce for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has become thick and the pasta has a chance to start getting caramelized. Don’t move the pasta around! Then ladle half of the tomato broth over the pasta and continue cooking until all of the liquid has been absorbed, plus another minute or two to continue to char the pasta on the bottom of the pan, again not moving the pasta around to allow that caramelization to happen.
Finish the s’getti. Once the spaghetti has got some nice char/caramelization underneath (you can peek underneath to see), flip the spaghetti, again keeping it all going in the same direction as much as possible, then ladle the remaining broth overtop. At this point you can start separating the pasta strands from each other to prevent clumping, then allow to simmer again until most of the liquid has been absorbed. When almost all the liquid has been absorbed, taste a strand to check for doneness, adding a bit more liquid to the pan if necessary to continue cooking. Continue simmering until all the liquid is absorbed and the spaghetti can char on the other side. Once you’re satisfied with the amount of char, add the remaining ½ cup of tomato puree and a splash of water (or more bone broth if you have) and toss to coat. Taste and add more salt (or chili flakes) if needed and toss again, then plate and serve immediately!
Notes
A nonstick pan is essential for this, otherwise you could end up with a lot of stickage! A cast iron pan, or something like Hexclad, works fantastic as well.
The first time I made this, I used 1 tablespoon of calabrian chili paste and it was not enough. I recommend at least double if using the paste, but you know your own spice tolerance best, so do what feels right for you!
For the tomato puree, you can use a plain tomato sauce, your favorite tomato sauce, or I like to puree a can of whole San Marzano tomatoes to use.
I'm a big eater, a huge fan of pasta (and mac n cheese), and I'm on a mission to prove that indulgence and balance can exist well together without silly restrictions or dieting. Life's too short to eat bad food!
