Scarpariello Pasta Recipe (Pasta allo Scarpariello)
Last updated on October 16th, 2026
This Scarpariello pasta recipe is super quick to pull together, fresh and couldn’t be easier to make. In this blog post, I’ll show you all the tricks to get this plate of pasta on the table in less than 15 minutes. So let’s get started.
What Is Pasta Allo Scarpariello?
Pasta allo scarpariello is a classic Neapolitan pasta dish: cherry tomatoes cooked down in a pan with garlic, chilli and basil, tossed with spaghetti and finished with parmesan. It uses very few ingredients and is on the table in under 15 minutes.
Starting the Scarpariello Sauce With Garlic, Chilli and Cherry Tomatoes
First things first, we are going to prep the sauce. Place a frying pan onto a medium-low heat and add a little splash of olive oil.
Peel one clove of garlic and add it to the pan whole with a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes, this of course can be more, less or none, whatever you like. For a deeper heat, a spoonful of spiced homemade chilli oil works in place of the flakes.
Next, the cherry tomatoes. To halve them quickly, I use the deli lid trick: pile the tomatoes onto a deli lid, place a second lid on top and slice straight through with a sharp knife. I halved around 50 cherry tomatoes in 30 seconds this way. Load them into the frying pan as you cut them.
Once they’re all in, turn up the heat a little and add a generous knob of butter, around 30g, or just over an ounce.
The butter isn’t a traditional ingredient of SCARPARIELLO PASTA, but it adds a well-rounded creaminess to the end dish and pairs so well with the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes. A slice of chilli, garlic and lemon compound butter works brilliantly here too if you’ve got some in the freezer.
Cooking the Spaghetti So the Salt Actually Seasons It
Salt the water properly here and it does double duty, seasoning the pasta itself rather than just cooking it. Get a pan of boiling water on the stove ready to go and add a generous pinch of salt.
It’s famously said in Italy that the water should taste like the sea, if this puts you off because of the volume of salt just remember that the pasta is only going to absorb some of this water, so that means only some of this salt as well. It’s the same rule I follow for my hand-rolled spinach cavatelli, and it makes just as big a difference.
Also, remember that this is our only chance to get some seasoning into the pasta, so if you’re a cautious seasoner try adding a bit more than you usually would and I guarantee you’ll notice a difference in taste. Mum, I’m thinking of you here.
Stay with the spaghetti adding a little pressure until it’s become flexible and it’s all submerged in the water. I’m using 200g of pasta, which is enough for 2 people.
Set a timer for 1 minute less than the packet instructions.
Building the Sauce: Basil, Parmesan and the Case for Grana Padano
Now give the tomatoes a stir or a flip and a little seasoning with some salt, not too much.
If the pan feels like it’s frying too hard or looks like things are starting to burn around the edges then you can lower the heat a little.
This is something you’ll have to use your best judgement on, we want enough heat to break down the tomatoes in time for the pasta to finish cooking but not so much they burn and go bitter.
While all that is happening the only things we have left to do is pick the basil leaves from the stalks, I’m going to use all the bottom leaves to cook in the sauce and save these younger, smaller top leaves for decoration.
Lastly, finely grate some parmesan around 20g. Some recipes use a mix of pecorino and parmesan, or 100% pecorino.
If you can’t justify buying DOP Parmigiano Reggiano, then definitely try to source a Grana Padano over an imitation parmesan that is not from Italy.
It’s usually around half the price of parmesan and beats the non-Italian-made cheese in every way, taste, texture, how it melts etc etc.
It ends up being a lot more cost-effective than the imitation stuff even though it’s more expensive to buy, because you have to use so much less to get the right flavour.
Finishing the Pasta So the Sauce Clings, Not Pools
The trick here is building a light emulsion with starchy pasta water instead of extra butter. It’s the same trick I use to bring together my courgette and chilli pasta. Once you have 1 minute left on the pasta timer, the sauce should be cooked right down and looking a little jammy.
Once the spaghetti is at its al dente stage, take it off the heat and with some tongs fish it out of the water and straight into the frying pan, don’t worry about getting any water in the frying pan we want it.
Turn the heat up under the frying pan, add the basil leaves and give the pan a shake and a stir to get the pasta coated in that sauce.
Add a bit more pasta water until you have this kind of lightly soupy consistency in the bottom, it’s kind of hard to add too much pasta water at this stage without just pouring the whole pan in.
So if you’re unsure go with a little more than you think, it evaporates off so quickly and you’re left with this starchy, light sauce that coats the pasta so well.
Fry that pasta for 1 or 2 minutes whilst tossing or stirring until most of the water has been absorbed and the pasta is cooked.
If your pasta is still too al dente for your liking, then add a little more water and place a lid on the pan, this will help it to finish cooking.
When you see the piece of garlic fish it out, it’s done its job and given us a mild garlic flavour through this dish.
Once you’re happy the pasta is cooked, turn the heat under the pan off and add the finely grated parmesan cheese, stir or toss that in until you have this light, creamy sauce coating the pasta.
Usually, when you add the cheese, the pasta stiffens up slightly, so I’m adding a dash more pasta water. This always happens with risotto as well, for example. You’ll see exactly the same thing happen with the parmesan in my three-mushroom risotto.
Now as always, taste for seasoning. I always do this after adding the cheese as Italian hard cheese brings a saltiness as well.
At this stage, if yours looks drier than this then add a tiny dash of pasta water, you want it to be slightly saucy and the pasta is constantly absorbing the liquid.
I’d much rather have a slightly softer pasta that’s coated in a delicious sauce, over a perfectly cooked pasta that’s got no sauciness going on!
Serve it on a warmed plate and spoon over some more of the tomatoes from the pan, grate over a little more parmesan and finally add the basil leaves you saved from earlier.
The Taste Test
This pasta dish is another one of those Southern Italian classics that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
It’s fresh, summery and light. If you’ve got tomatoes left over, try my Provençal garlic and basil tomatoes. I encourage you to buy the best ingredients you can get to make this dish, it uses very few of them and this is a 10 out of 10.
Can I use a different pasta shape instead of spaghetti?
Spaghetti works well because it tangles nicely with the jammy tomato sauce, but any long pasta like linguine or bucatini will do the same job. It’s best to stick with a long shape rather than a short one so the sauce coats every strand evenly.
Why does this traditional Italian recipe use butter?
Butter isn’t a traditional scarpariello ingredient, but a generous knob (around 30g) melted in with the cherry tomatoes gives the sauce a rounder, creamier finish that pairs beautifully with their natural sweetness. It’s a small addition that makes a big difference to the final dish.
How salty should the pasta water actually be?
Properly salty – the classic Italian rule is that it should taste like the sea. Don’t be shy with it: the pasta only absorbs some of the water, and some of that salt, and this is your only real chance to season the pasta itself.
What cheese should I use if I can’t get real Parmigiano Reggiano?
Reach for a Grana Padano before an imitation parmesan that isn’t made in Italy. It’s usually around half the price of true Parmigiano-Reggiano and beats non-Italian alternatives on taste, texture and how it melts, so you end up using less of it and it’s more cost effective overall.
My sauce looks dry by the time the pasta is ready – what do I do?
Add a splash more pasta water and keep tossing. The starchy water is what turns the tomato and butter mixture into a light sauce that clings to the spaghetti, so if it ever looks tight or dry, loosen it with a little more water rather than adding oil.
What does scarpariello mean?
Scarpariello means shoemaker’s style in Italian dialect. One thing worth noting is that it’s actually two different dishes that happen to share a name. There’s the Italian-American classic, a proper rustic skillet of chicken and sausage, and then the Neapolitan pasta dish it all started from. Both are seriously tasty, whilst being completely different.
Is this pasta scarpariello or chicken scarpariello?
This recipe is the classic Neapolitan pasta scarpariello, the original Italian pasta dish. It’s rustic, it’s simple, and once you know the technique it’s far easier than it looks.
Scarpariello Pasta Recipe (Pasta allo Scarpariello)
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Knife (general)
- Microplane / Fine grater
- Digital scales
- Timer
- Frying pan
- Large pot / Stockpot
- Serving plate / Platter
- Serving spoon
- Deli containers & lids
- Lid
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 200 g dried pasta I’m using spaghetti
- 300 g cherry tomatoes
- 1 whole clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 30 g / 1 oz approx of unsalted butter
- Basil around 30 leaves
- Parmesan around 20g
- Salt
Instructions
Prepping the Sauce:
- Place a frying pan on medium-low heat and add a splash of olive oil.
- Peel one clove of garlic and add it whole to the pan along with a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes and drop them into the pan as you cut them.
- Turn up the heat slightly and add a generous knob of butter (around 30g).
- Stir the tomatoes and season with a bit of salt. Adjust the heat if necessary to prevent burning.
- Start boiling water for the spaghetti with a generous pinch of salt.
Cooking the Spaghetti:
- Once the water is boiling, add the spaghetti and stir until it becomes flexible and submerged. Use 200g of pasta for 2 people.
- Set a timer for 8 minutes (adjusting for the 9-minute cook time stated on the packet).
- Continue stirring the tomatoes occasionally.
Finishing the Sauce and Pasta:
- Pick the basil leaves from the stalks, reserving the smaller top leaves for decoration.
- Finely grate around 20g of Parmesan cheese.
- As the pasta timer nears completion, the sauce should have thickened to a jam-like consistency.
- Once the spaghetti is al dente, take it off the heat and use tongs to lift it straight into the pan of sauce. A little pasta water coming with it is fine.
- Turn up the heat under the pan, add basil leaves, and shake/stir to coat the pasta.
- Add a bit more pasta water to achieve a lightly soupy consistency in the sauce.
- Fry the pasta for 1-2 minutes, tossing or stirring, until the water is mostly absorbed, and the pasta is cooked.
- If needed, add more water and cover the pan with a lid to help the pasta finish cooking.
- Take out the garlic clove from the sauce.
- Turn off the heat and add the finely grated Parmesan cheese to the pan, stirring to create a creamy sauce.
- If the pasta stiffens, add a dash more pasta water to maintain the desired consistency.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
| Total Fat | 17g |
| Saturated Fat | 9.5g |
| Cholesterol | 41mg |
| Sodium | 196mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 83.1g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.4g |
| Sugars | 6.8g |
| Protein | 17.8g |
| Potassium | 646mg |
