Name: Sardine Pasta (With Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon garlic butter or butter; 2 tablespoons unseasoned panko bread crumbs; 4 ounces dried spaghetti (about 113 grams); 1.5 tablespoons olive oil; 1 shallot (peeled and minced (or small yellow onion)); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 tablespoons capers; 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil (removed from their oil and sliced (about 4)); 1 (4-ounce) can sardines in oil (I like a variety with olives, but use what you enjoy best); 3 tablespoons oil (either oil from sardine tin, sun-dried tomatoes or olive oil); 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste); 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 lemon); 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon); 1 large handful baby spinach (about 1 heaping loosely packed cup)

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Looking for an easy canned fish recipe? Try this sardine pasta! It’s perfectly portioned for two (though, it can easily be doubled), and uses mostly pantry ingredients. It’s delicious, filling and on the table in about 20 minutes!

Hi friends!

Remember the sardines on toast recipe I shared a little while back?

Well today I’m bringing you another recipe using canned sardines!

If you’re looking for a simple pantry ingredient recipe that comes together quickly (and you’re a seafood fan), then this sardine pasta is for you!

This one is jam-packed with flavourful ingredients and there’s very little fuss in preparing.

How To Make Sardine Pasta

Full details on how to make this seafood pasta recipe are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

First, we want to make a buttery topping for the finished pasta. Start by melting some garlic butter in a pan. Then add unseasoned panko bread crumbs and cook until golden brown and toasty. Once done, remove them for use later.
Then heat olive oil in a 12-inch pan and cook shallot and garlic until the onion has softened. Add capers and sun-dried tomatoes.
Mix in cooked pasta, some reserved pasta water, sardines, oil, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, lemon and baby spinach. Stir and warm through.
Divide the pasta into bowls, garnish with buttery panko crumbs and enjoy!

Collage of steps to make pasta with sardines.

What Type of Sardines Should I Use?

I find canned sardines in oil work best here. I also like to use a Mediterranean variety (with olives) and often use brisling sardines.

The oil from the tin helps to flavour the dish and make the “sauce.”

Sardine pasta in a pan alongside a tea towel, lemon and red pepper flakes.

Can This Recipe Be Doubled?

Absolutely! This recipe is portioned for two people but can easily be doubled to feed a family.

Tips and Variations

The tinned sardines that were used had black olives. If yours doesn’t have (or you want extra), feel free to mix in some sliced Kalamata olives.
Only one can of sardines was used (and that one can adds tons of flavour). However, if you want to make things more substantial, you can add a second tin of sardines.
Spaghetti was used, but feel free to use another type of pasta. Linguine would work lovely here.
Aside from salting the water to cook pasta, no additional salt was added to the recipe (as I find the ingredients themselves salty enough). However, if you want, you can add salt to taste.
I love the buttery panko crumbs as a topping, but if you’d rather skip those, that’s okay. Toasted pine nuts are another yummy option.
If you don’t have garlic butter (for the panko topping), just use regular butter and add some garlic powder to taste (or simply omit the garlic).
Don’t have baby spinach? Mix in a little fresh parsley instead or wilt some kale (or omit all together).
Marinated artichokes would be a yummy addition.
Have fresh chili pepper on hand? You can use that instead of the crushed red pepper flakes.

Bowl of sardine pasta with a gold fork resting on the bowl.

More Canned Fish Recipes

Hope you love this sardine pasta recipe as much as we do! If you’re a fan of sardines (like me), check out these seafood stuffed mushrooms.

If you make this seafood pasta, be sure to leave a comment below!

Sardine pasta in a pan next to a tea towel.

Sardine Pasta (With Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach)

Dawn | Girl Heart Food

Looking for an easy canned fish recipe? Try this sardine pasta! It's perfectly portioned for two (though, it can easily be doubled), and uses mostly pantry ingredients. It's delicious, filling and on the table in about 20 minutes!

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Course Main Course

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon garlic butter or butter
2 tablespoons unseasoned panko bread crumbs
4 ounces dried spaghetti, about 113 grams
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and minced (or small yellow onion)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons capers
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, removed from their oil and sliced (about 4)
1 (4-ounce) can sardines in oil (I like a variety with olives, but use what you enjoy best), roughly chopped (about a 106-gram can of sardines)
3 tablespoons oil (either oil from sardine tin, sun-dried tomatoes or olive oil)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest, from about 1 lemon
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
1 large handful baby spinach, about 1 heaping loosely packed cup

Instructions

Melt butter in a small non-stick frying pan over low heat. Add panko bread crumbs, stirring to coat in butter. Cook, stirring often, until crumbs turn golden brown. Once done, transfer panko bread crumbs to a bowl and set aside.
Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water for later (you may not need it all), then drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a 12-inch pan (like a sauté pan or one that's about 2.5 to 3 inches deep) over medium heat.
Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in capers and sun-dried tomatoes.
Add cooked pasta, sardines, oil (see "Notes" below), crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, lemon zest and juice (zest the lemon before juicing), spinach and ¼ cup of pasta water. Stir and cook for 3 minutes or until everything is warmed through, combined and spinach has wilted.
Note: You can use some oil from the canned sardines, oil from the sun-dried tomatoes or regular olive oil. Keep in mind that if you use the oil from the sardines, your end result will be more sardine-forward than if you use regular olive oil. Add remaining ¼ cup of pasta water, if desired, to make things looser.
To serve, divide the pasta into bowls, top with the reserved panko bread crumbs and enjoy!

Notes

The tinned sardines that were used had black olives. If yours doesn’t have (or you want extra), feel free to mix in some sliced Kalamata olives.
Aside from salting the water to cook pasta, no additional salt was added to the recipe (as I find the ingredients themselves salty enough). However, if you want, you can add salt to taste.

A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Keyword canned fish recipe, recipe for two, seafood pasta, tinned sardines, under 30 minutes

Tried this recipe?

If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!