Pasta allo scarpariello is one of those pasta dishes that you can whip up on the fly, in the time it takes to cook the pasta: you lightly sauté garlic in olive oil (add a pinch of hot pepper if you want a kick) then cherry tomatoes, split in half, and a few fresh basil leaves, which you sauté just until they start to wilt. Then in goes the cooked pasta, along with lots of grated cheese and more basil. Toss it all together and you’re ready to eat.
The dish has its origins in the Quartieri Spagnoli or “Spanish Barracks”, a working class neighborhood in central Naples. The story goes that on Mondays shoemakers’ wives would make a quick and easy pasta with the ragù leftover from Sunday dinner, stretched with lots of grated cheese to make it go further. Somehow over the years—and I haven’t been able to find out how—the long simmered ragù was replaced with lightly sautéed fresh tomatoes.
Today this workaday dish has become quite trendy. You’ll find it on the menus of tony restaurants in Naples and the nearby Amalfi Coast. I had it a couple of times when I was in the area this past summer, in one case in a duetto with that other pasta of the moment, spaghetti alla Nerano. It was perfection.
For Italian-Americans, the name scarpariello might be confusing, as there’s an Italian-American chicken dish of the same name. You might guess this is just another example of the Italian-American fondness for chicken, like the way parmigiana di melanzane turned into Chicken Parm. But in the case of the Scarpariello cousins, it’s not just a case of substituting one ingredient for another. The two dishes have absolutely nothing in common. My best guess is that the same nickname got attached to two dishes that have real connection otherwise.
Anyway, whatever you call it, it’s a delicious and easy dish. And an excellent way to enjoy the last of your summer basil.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
- 400-450g (1 lb) pasta (see Notes)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, slightly crushed and peeled
- 500g (18 oz) cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- 50g (1.75 oz) freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
- 50g (1.75 oz) freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- olive oil
- salt
- A small pinch of dried red pepper flakes (optional)
Directions
In a large braiser, sauté pan or wok, sauté gently the garlic (along with the basil stem if you have it) in olive oil until they just begin to brown around the edges. Remove the garlic and stem. Add a pinch of red pepper if using.
Raise the heat and add the cherry or grape tomatoes, along with a few basil leaves. Sauté over a lively flame for just a few minutes, seasoning with salt as you go. When the tomatoes have softened and bit but haven’t quite melted, turn off the heat.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta of your choice in well salted water until al dente.
Transfer the pasta to the pan with the tomatoes, along with a ladleful of the pasta cooking water. Turn the heat back on and toss the pasta with the tomatoes over a lively flame, until the sauce clings to the pasta.
Turn off the heat and add the grated cheeses and the basil leaves. Toss until the cheese have melted completely and the sauce turns creamy and coats the pasta.
Serve immediately, topped with a few more basil leaves if you like.
Notes
As mentioned, a scarpariello sauce lends itself to just about any pasta shape, though the most classic would be a short tubular pasta. In Naples I had it with ziti, which was lovely. Other tubular pastas like penne, fusilli, rigatoni or—best of all, if you ask me—paccheri (as pictured in this post) lend themselves well to the scarpariello treatment. You will also see scarpariello recipes with spaghetti and other long pastas.
In some recipes, you let the tomatoes cook rather longer, about 15 minutes, which means they essentially melt into a proper sauce. Other recipes take this a step further and add some tomato passata to the mix. It’s a good way to go if you like your pasta with a true sauce rather than what Italians would call a condimento. Personally I prefer the chunky texture you get from a light sauté.
And you can mix things up with other cheeses, preferably those typical of the region like a caciocavallo, scamorza or—if you can find it—a provolone di Monaco. In Naples, it’s consider a good dish to recycle bits of pieces of leftover cheeses.
Recipes vary on when to add the basil, with some adding it all to cook in the sauce, in others the basil is added only at the end. As outlined in this recipe, I like to split the difference, adding a few leaves to cook with the tomatoes then the rest added to toss with the pasta. I also like to throw the stem in at the very beginning with the garlic. This way you get the best of both worlds: the basil lends its full fragrance to the sauce but also its freshness to the finished dish.
Pasta allo scarpariello
Ingredients
- 400-450 g (1 lb) pasta
- 2-3 cloves garlic slightly crushed and peeled
- 500 g (18 oz) cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- 50 g (1.75 oz) freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
- 50 g (1.75 oz) freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- olive oil
- salt
- A small pinch of dried red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- In a large braiser, sauté pan or wok, sauté gently the garlic (along with the basil stem if you have it) in olive oil until they just begin to brown around the edges. Remove the garlic and stem. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes if using.
- Raise the heat and add the cherry or grape tomatoes, along with a few basil leaves. Sauté over a lively flame for just a few minutes, seasoning with salt as you go. When the tomatoes have softened and bit but haven’t quite melted, turn off the heat.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta of your choice in well salted water until al dente.
- Transfer the pasta to the pan with the tomatoes, along with a ladleful of the pasta cooking water. Turn the heat back on and toss the pasta with the tomatoes over a lively flame, until the sauce clings to the pasta.
- Turn off the heat and add the grated cheeses and the basil leaves. Toss until the cheese have melted completely and the sauce turns creamy and coats the pasta.
- Serve immediately, topped with a few more basil leaves if you like.
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29 Comments on “Pasta allo scarpariello (Shoemaker’s Pasta)”
I love this recipe so much, very simple but still so flavoursome 🙂
Thanks, FT!
Oh, this is another recipe to try. I mean, I have certainly had similar sauces, but the point is to try all the authentic recipes 🙂 And this is my kind of pasta – fresh, light, but hearty at the same time!
This one is definitely worth a try, Ben! And you may be surprised at how different this one tastes, despite having ingredients in common with other similar sauces. Enjoy!
Wow! Tried this and was tempted to add more tomato for a sauce but very glad we didn’t ! Lovely, and definitely on the repeat list!
Thank you.
Ian
That’s great, Ian. Delighted to have added to your regular rotation! This is one is a winner for sure.
This Pasta is a true testament to how simple ingredients can come together to create something extraordinary! I love the rustic origins of this dish from the working-class neighborhoods of Naples, and how it has evolved from a leftover ragu to a fresh, vibrant dish with tomatoes and basil. The balance between the richness of the cheeses and the freshness of the tomatoes and basil sounds perfect, especially with the option to add that little spicy kick from the red pepper flakes. A great way to savor the last of summer’s basil!
So true, Raymund. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hi Frank, I must tell you that I stumbled upon your website several months ago and was drawn to the name as I had a wonderful Zia Angelina who along with my grandparents, uncle (Her husband), my father all came from Toscana and Rio Maggiore.
She was along with her husband great cooks, and we always ate wonderful meals together. They were in the culinary world as well. Along with my grandmother and father
Your website is a gem and absolutely love it! I come to it daily to look for recipes and explore. I have made quite a few and they were perfection.
Thank you for bringing your knowledge and authenticity of true Italian cuisine … truly wonderful !
John
What wonderful family memories, John. And thanks so much for the kind words about the website. Glad you’re enjoying it—and most of all cooking the recipes!
Hi Frank
Glad you are back and that things are going as well as can be. I love this pasta — the freshness really speaks to me and, while you say it is a summer dish, it works well for autumn here because we are getting tons of cherry tomatoes. Mark and I will make it soon.
Thanks, David. It’s nice to be back. Hope you guys like it!
I love recipes like this! We often have busy weeknights with afterschool activities, and I try to plan to have leftovers around…but it doesn’t always work. On those nights, recipes like this are perfection. Totally making this sometime soon – thanks for the inspiration, Frank!
You’re welcome. And thanks so much for stopping by!
We stayed in Quartieri Spagnoli when we were in Naples last year. What an experience. This is the type of pasta dish I like to make on a Sunday night 🙂
It’s a fascinating part of town but sadly we ran out of time before getting to explore it in depth. Next time!
This is a new pasta dish for me. That sauce is simple yet so delicious.
Indeed it is, Angie. Definitely worth a try!
This sounds so simple but oh so good. As soon as I am home I have to make it.
I hope you enjoy it. And in the meantime happy travels. 🙂
We have this dish often, the only difference is that we only use pecorino romano cheese and leave the garlic in. Simple but so good.
Very true, Karen!
Gerat food history and dish! I love the frugality of turning Sunday leftovers into a new meal.
I do, too. I truly hate the throw out food. And sometimes the recycled leftovers are better than the original dish.
This looks so enticing on that lovely plate Frank! And so quick and easy too!
cheers
sherry
That it is, Sherry! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Sounds delicious, and simple enough to make for a quick lunch. Glad you are back!
Thanks so much, Barb!