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I love the story behind this pasta dish, in that it was a quick, thrown-together dish for the working women in Italy. What was originally something of a cheap dish for the working class has since grown to become one of the countries favorite pasta dishes, and with good reason — not only is it quick to make and cheap, it's also packed full of flavour!
The low-carb recipe below will yield you four serves, but I like to double or triple it as the sauce freezes really well and makes a great mid-week dinner. All you need is some zucchini noodles or shirataki noodles, both of which can be prepared in less than 5 minutes!
For extra protein you can even add some diced chicken breasts, chicken thighs or turkey. The options are endless!
Hands-on Overall
Nutritional values (per serving)
Net carbs7.1 grams
Protein7.8 grams
Fat27.6 grams
Calories318 kcal
Calories from carbs 9%, protein 10%, fat 81%
Total carbs13.2 gramsFiber6.1 gramsSugars9 gramsSaturated fat8.6 gramsSodium780 mg(34% RDA)Magnesium57 mg(14% RDA)Potassium819 mg(41% EMR)
Ingredients (makes 4 servings)
- 2 tbsp ghee or extra virgin avocado oil (30 ml)
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 anchovy fillets, chopped (16 g/ 0.6 oz)
- 2 cans crushed tomatoes (800 g/ 1.76 lb)
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 16 pitted kalamata olives, halved (48 g/ 1.7 oz)
- 2 tbsp baby capers, drained (17 g/ 0.6 oz)
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped basil, plus more for garnish
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to drizzle (60 ml)
- 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan or other Italian-style hard cheese (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
- 3 medium or 4 small zucchini, spiralized (600 g/ 1.3 lb)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook, stirring, until fragrant (around 1 minute).
- Add the crushed tomatoes, chili flakes, olives and capers and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce has started to reduce.
- Add basil, taste and season with more salt or extra chilli if preferred.
- Serve with zucchini noodles (spiralized zucchini) or other low-carb noodles such as shirataki noodles. You can use raw zucchini noodles or briefly cook them on a lightly greased pan for 1 to 3 minutes.
- Drizzle with olive oil, top with parmesan and optionally serve with more basil. Store the sauce in a container in the fridge up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee or extra virgin avocado oil (30 ml)
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 anchovy fillets, chopped (16 g/ 0.6 oz)
- 2 cans crushed tomatoes (800 g/ 1.76 lb)
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 16 pitted kalamata olives, halved (48 g/ 1.7 oz)
- 2 tbsp baby capers, drained (17 g/ 0.6 oz)
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped basil, plus more for garnish
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to drizzle (60 ml)
- 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan or other Italian-style hard cheese (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
- 3 medium or 4 small zucchini, spiralized (600 g/ 1.3 lb)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook, stirring, until fragrant (around 1 minute).
- Add the crushed tomatoes, chili flakes, olives and capers and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce has started to reduce.
- Add basil, taste and season with more salt or extra chilli if preferred.
- Serve with zucchini noodles (spiralized zucchini) or other low-carb noodles such as shirataki noodles. You can use raw zucchini noodles or briefly cook them on a lightly greased pan for 1 to 3 minutes.
- Drizzle with olive oil, top with parmesan and optionally serve with more basil. Store the sauce in a container in the fridge up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories318kcal
Net Carbs7.1g
Carbohydrates13.2g
Protein7.8g
Fat27.6g
Saturated Fat8.6g
Fiber6.1g
Sugar9g
Sodium780mg
Magnesium57mg
Potassium819mg
Detailed nutritional breakdown (per serving)
| Total per serving |
| 7.1 g | 7.8 g | 27.6 g | 318 kcal |
| Ghee |
| 0 g | 0 g | 7.5 g | 68 kcal |
| Garlic, fresh |
| 0.2 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Anchovies (canned anchovy fillets in oil) |
| 0 g | 1.2 g | 0.4 g | 8 kcal |
| Tomatoes, canned (unsweetened) |
| 3.1 g | 1.6 g | 0.5 g | 32 kcal |
| Peppers, chile (chili), flaked and dried, spices |
| 0.2 g | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 2 kcal |
| Kalamata olives |
| 0 g | 0.2 g | 3.1 g | 31 kcal |
| Capers, canned |
| 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Salt, sea salt |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Pepper, black, spices |
| 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Basil, fresh |
| 0 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Olive oil, extra virgin |
| 0 g | 0 g | 13.5 g | 119 kcal |
| Parmesan cheese |
| 0.2 g | 2.7 g | 1.9 g | 29 kcal |
| Zucchini (summer squash, courgette) |
| 3.2 g | 1.8 g | 0.5 g | 26 kcal |
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