Spaghetti all’Assassina (Assassin’s Spaghetti) Recipe

One of my all-time favorite cooking personalities is none other than the queen of Tiktok and Instagram, The Pasta Queen. Her videos are sultry and hilarious, her recipes look so delicious, and she’s got an incredible Italian accent to boot. Who can resist that hair toss? No one.

A couple of years ago she posted a video of assassin’s spaghetti and I’ve been obsessed ever since. From the very Italian backstory (a man is distracted by an alluring woman so he burns his pasta) to the unique cooking method, I had to try it for myself. 

Over two years later, I think I’ve perfected it. Now I’m here to share the recipe with you.

What Is Assassin’s Spaghetti (Spaghetti all’Assassina)?

The dish is reported to date back to the 1960s and originated in Puglia. It’s a simple dish of tomato sauce, garlic, chile, olive oil, and spaghetti. What sets it apart is the method—the pasta is cooked in the sauce until charred on one side. Then it is flipped and more watery sauce (called broth) is added periodically as the pasta soaks it up, similar to risotto.

The resulting dish is spicy and extremely flavorful despite the short list of ingredients. The tomato, garlic, and chile flavor is concentrated and absorbed into the pasta as it cooks, and the char adds a chewy texture and even more flavor.

Cooking by Feel

I find assassin’s spaghetti extremely fun to make since it’s a very different way of cooking pasta. Instead of simply boiling pasta until it’s done and tossing it with sauce, everything cooks together, requiring no small amount of intuition.

That’s why this recipe doesn’t have tons of specific times, allowing you to set a timer and come back to it. Instead, it requires a more thoughtful approach. Is it hard? No. It’s just different. I’ve included some tips below and thorough instructions that will walk you through the process. Once you’ve successfully made assassin’s spaghetti, you can make it over and over again without a recipe.

Tips for Making Assassin’s Spaghetti

• Use a good pan. I know that you’re not supposed to cook tomatoes in your cast iron skillet, but it won’t do any harm when making a quick dish like this. As long as your skillet is well-seasoned, cast iron is the way to go. Be sure to clean it soon after using so the tomato residue doesn’t sit in the pan for too long.
• Use good spaghetti. Any spaghetti will do, but a high-quality pasta with rough edges is especially nice for this dish.
• Adjust the heat. The amount of red pepper flakes in this recipe makes a spicy but not super spicy dish. If you like heat, up it to one teaspoon and consider garnishing with more. You can also use fresh, thinly sliced red chiles instead.

Optional Adornments

This naturally vegan pasta really doesn’t need any further bells and whistles, but you can certainly add them. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is an easy addition, but a soft cheese like a little fresh burrata is nice to help offset the heat. 

For a meaty twist, add a little guanciale or finely chopped bacon to the pan before adding the garlic and pepper flakes, taking the dish into Amatriciana territory.

One-Pan Pastas