Square Spaghetti with Garlic and Anchovy

Square spaghetti with garlic and anchovy is a pasta in a smooth milk, garlic and butter sauce with broiled peppers, ready in 1 hour 10 minutes. It feeds 4 and works for a weeknight when you want a sauce with real depth.

Why This Recipe Works

The garlic simmers in milk for 30 minutes instead of frying in oil. Milk softens the cloves and takes away their harsh bite, so what’s left is mellow and sweet.

The anchovies go in off the heat and dissolve into the warm milk. You get savory depth without any fishy taste, and the sauce becomes salty and round rather than sharp.

Pressing the sauce through a metal sieve gets rid of the fibers and any leftover bones. Then the butter only needs to melt, which keeps the sauce silky and keeps it from splitting.

Square Spaghetti with Garlic and Anchovy Ingredients

For the sauce

• 2 whole garlic bulbs, peeled and broken into cloves
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 16 anchovy fillets (salted or in oil)
• 3 ounces butter, roughly chopped

For the pasta and peppers

• 3 bell peppers (yellow and red)
• 1 pound fresh square spaghetti or regular spaghetti

How To Make Square Spaghetti with Garlic and Anchovy

Simmer the garlic and prep the anchovies

1. Soften the garlic: Put the garlic cloves and the milk in a pan and cook over gentle heat for about 30 minutes. They are ready when a clove mashes easily against the side of the pan.
2. Prepare the anchovies: Salted anchovies need a 30-minute soak in water to draw out the extra salt. Pat the fillets dry on paper towels and pull out any large bones.

Broil the peppers

3. Blacken the skins: Set the peppers under a hot broiler until the skins turn black. The char loosens the skin and adds a smoky edge.
4. Peel and slice: Let the peppers cool a little, then peel off the skins and throw away the seeds. Slice the flesh finely and keep it warm.

Make the sauce

5. Dissolve the anchovies: Take the pan off the heat once the garlic is soft. Add the anchovies and stir with a spoon until they melt into the milk.
6. Strain: Pass the milk, garlic and anchovies through a metal sieve into a clean pan, pressing the garlic through. This gives you a smooth sauce.
7. Add the butter: Warm the sauce gently and add the butter. Don’t cook it, just heat it until the butter melts, then take it off the heat so it stays creamy.

Cook the pasta and serve

8. Cook the pasta: Boil the 1 pound of square spaghetti, or regular spaghetti, for 3 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain it well so the sauce clings instead of thinning out.
9. Toss and top: Toss the hot pasta with the sauce until every strand is coated. Pile the warm pepper slices on top and serve right away.

Recipe Tips

• Keep the heat low: Milk scorches and curdles if it boils hard. Keep it at a bare simmer while the garlic cooks.
• Check salted anchovies: If you use salted fillets, taste the sauce before you season it. Anchovies in oil are usually milder, but both bring plenty of salt.
• Time it right: Have the sauce ready before the pasta goes in. The pasta cooks in just a few minutes and is best tossed while it’s hot.
• Warm the peppers: Cold peppers cool the dish down. Keep them covered in a warm spot until the pasta is plated.

What To Serve With Square Spaghetti with Garlic and Anchovy

Serve this in warm bowls with the peppers on top. A simple green salad with a sharp lemon dressing balances the creamy sauce, and crusty bread helps you mop up what’s left.

How To Store

• Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Warm the pasta gently in a skillet with a splash of milk until it is hot all the way through. High heat can make the sauce split.
• Freezer: The milk and butter sauce does not freeze well, so it is better eaten fresh or kept in the fridge.

FAQs

Will this taste very fishy?

No. The anchovies melt into the warm milk and turn into a salty, savory base. Most people can’t pick out the fish, they just taste a deeper sauce.

Can I use regular spaghetti instead of square spaghetti?

Yes. Regular spaghetti works just as well. Check the box for the cooking time and pull it when it’s al dente.

Is this dish vegetarian or gluten free?

Neither. The anchovies are fish, and the pasta is made from wheat. A gluten-free spaghetti would fix the second, but the sauce needs anchovies.

Why did my sauce split or turn grainy?

It was probably heated too hard. Once the butter goes in, warm the sauce just until it melts and take it off the heat straight away.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.

• Calories: about 690 kcal
• Total Fat: 28g
• Total Carbohydrate: 88g
• Dietary Fiber: 6g
• Protein: 25g

Square Spaghetti with Garlic and Anchovy

Recipe by Paula

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

50

minutes

Total time

70

minutes

Square spaghetti in a silky sauce of milk-simmered garlic, melted anchovies and butter, finished with warm broiled yellow and red peppers. A salty, mellow pasta for 4.

Ingredients

• For the sauce

• 2 whole garlic bulbs, peeled and broken into cloves

• 1 1/4 cups milk

• 16 anchovy fillets (salted or in oil)

• 3 ounces butter, roughly chopped

• For the pasta and peppers

• 3 bell peppers (yellow and red)

• 1 pound fresh square spaghetti or regular spaghetti

Directions

• Soften the garlic: Put the garlic cloves and the milk in a pan and cook over gentle heat for about 30 minutes. They are ready when a clove mashes easily against the side of the pan.
• Prepare the anchovies: Salted anchovies need a 30-minute soak in water to draw out the extra salt. Pat the fillets dry on paper towels and pull out any large bones.
• Blacken the skins: Set the peppers under a hot broiler until the skins turn black. The char loosens the skin and adds a smoky edge.
• Peel and slice: Let the peppers cool a little, then peel off the skins and throw away the seeds. Slice the flesh finely and keep it warm.
• Dissolve the anchovies: Take the pan off the heat once the garlic is soft. Add the anchovies and stir with a spoon until they melt into the milk.
• Strain: Pass the milk, garlic and anchovies through a metal sieve into a clean pan, pressing the garlic through. This gives you a smooth sauce.
• Add the butter: Warm the sauce gently and add the butter. Don’t cook it, just heat it until the butter melts, then take it off the heat so it stays creamy.
• Cook the pasta: Boil the 1 pound of square spaghetti, or regular spaghetti, for 3 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain it well so the sauce clings instead of thinning out.
• Toss and top: Toss the hot pasta with the sauce until every strand is coated. Pile the warm pepper slices on top and serve right away.