Spaghetti alla Crudaiola is an Authentic Italian Fresh, Raw Tomato Pasta with Basil, Garlic, and chili sauce for the whole family to enjoy.
We love buying fresh, raw local tomatoes from the market, which have a strong aroma and smell of the sun! Marina does grow our own tomatoes every year, just 2/3 bushes of plum tomatoes produce enough to satisfy all of us. Salina loves to see the vegetables grow and takes care of them by watering them every day. Another recipe using fresh raw ingredients is Panzanella Salad, which uses minimal effort but receives maximum satisfaction!
Using raw ingredients that are full of nutritional value is great for your health and well-being! Find out more about Mediterranean Diet and the benefits it has to offer in my blog.
What does crudaiola mean?
Crudaiola, translated from Italian, means “raw style.”. In particular, retaining the tomatoes in a raw state, but warm and blistered, concentrates the natural flavours.
Can I use canned tomatoes for Spaghetti alla Crudiola?
Unfortunately, not for this recipe. The canned tomatoes are pre-cooked in order to be preserved and they will not release the water required to create the sauce
Can I use other pasta shapes?
Of course, you can! I love spaghetti with crudaiola, as for me, it is a quick pasta, and spaghetti tends to have a quicker cooking time. Nevertheless, feel free to use any other shape. I would recommend using dry pasta instead of fresh egg pasta, as it has a bit more bite and a milder taste, leaving the tomatoes to be the star of the show!
If you love pasta as much as I do, one of my favourite pasta recipes is Tagliatelle alle Bolognese, which originated in the town of Bolognia. You may also enjoy traditional Gnudi Toscani, fluffy dumplings filled with ricotta cheese, and you have to try Salsa Verde, herb sauce, to accompany your grill.
What ingredients will I need to make Spaghetti alla Crudiola?
- The are 5 ingredients to the whole dish: fresh cherry or baby plum tomatoes, garlic, chilli, olive oil, basil and spaghetti. The whole dish will only take 42 minutes to cook!
Let’s cook Spaghetti alla Crudiola!
Start by cutting the tomatoes in half and placing them in the bowl. Next, add garlic, parsley, chilli, extra olive oil, and basil leaves, and season…. Leave these tomatoes to infuse all the flavour for at least half an hour! While your tomatoes are getting all the amazing flavour in them, cook the spaghetti. Check the packaging of the spaghetti for cooking time. When the spaghetti is almost cooked, place the tomatoes in the hot pan for a few minutes, then add the almost-cooked spaghetti and toss. Let the sauce and spaghetti finish cooking together.
The pasta should be al dente (still firm when bitten), and the water should emulsify with the oil and tomato juices.
You might also want to check out our Spaghetti alle Vongole or Mezze Maniche con Moscardini. Both seafood recipes are amazing, and everybody needs to know how to make!
Spaghetti alla Crudiola
Equipment
Ingredients
- 400 g Spaghetti pasta
- 350 g Baby plum tomatoes
- 50 ml Extra virgin olive oil
- 10 ml Basil leaves
- 15 g Red chilli don’t forget to remove the seeds
- 8 g Garlic 2 cloves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes in a half and place in a bowl
- Add finely sliced garlic, chopped chilli, extra virgin olive oil, basil leaves and season
- Leave to infuse for at least half an hour.
- Cook the spaghetti in salted water
- While the pasta is cooking, warm up a large frying pan till smoking point
- Carefully place the tomato mix in the pan and cook for a few seconds
- 2 minutes before the pasta is ready (check the pack for suggested cooking time) drain the pasta keeping some of the water to add to sauce
- Cook in the pan for a further minute steering or tossing and adding some of the pasta cooking water if the sauce looks to dry. Don’t worry, even if the pasta is a little under cooked when you pull it out of the boiling water. Finishing cooking pasta in the pasta sauce adds all the flavour!
- The pasta should be al dente (still firm when bitten) and the water should emulsify with the oil and tomato juices.
HINT AND TIPS:
The baby plum tomatoes can be substitute with large plum tomatoes cut in segments.The sauce can be prepared 24 hours in advance, in this case cover and refrigerate, bring to room temperature before cooking. As we all know the vegetables taste much better at room temperature and the cold just compresses all the flavour.
For your little fussy eaters add some Parmesan cheese to Spaghetti Crudaiola to really get their appetite going.
Please bear in mind, that this recipe is tagged to be suitable for vegans, vegetarians, and dairy-free, however, if you do add Parmesan cheese to the dish it will NOT be suitable for vegetarians, and vegans and will contain dairy products!
Enjoy this authentic Italian Spaghetti Crudaiola with fresh tomato, basil, chilli and garlic sauce recipe.
Share your experience and pictures would be more than welcome,
Don’t hesitate to ask questions or ask for solutions.
Check my other recipes for great seasonal dishes which are easy to make and your whole family will enjoy!
I was looking for easy summer recipes and found this. It’s simple, tasty, and no fuss.
Thank you Laura, we are glad you found this recipe useful
Delish! I’ll have some, right now please!
This pasta looks so good and I LOVE blistered tomatoes! Thanks for posting.
I love pasta dishes! The fresher the better and your Spaghetti alla Crudaiola looks ah-mazing!!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! So good!
Spaghetti alla Crudaiola to the rescue for all the baby tomatoes I’ve grown in our garden. There’s only so many salads I can eat and this is a wonderfully delicious solution.
This pasta looks delicious and thank you for explaining what crudaiola is.
Looks delicious! Tomatoes and basil are like a match made in heaven!
My garden is just a few weeks shy of producing tomatoes and basil…I’m pinning and can’t wait! SUmmer’s finest.
Yum! This was so tasty! The kids loved it!
I love Italian food! Thanks for the recipe!
Such a easy and delicious pasta recipe. I just saved it to give this a try. Can’t wait.
This recipe is such a classic! You can’t go wrong with this!
These spaghetti looks so healthy and delicious! I was looking for a recipe like this 🙂
What a delicious recipe is this!