The Spaghetti Margherita results from an inseparable Mediterranean trio: tomato puree, buffalo stracciatella, and fresh basil, the three protagonists of this dish. Why the name Margherita? Because they resemble the famous Margherita pizza known worldwide. If you think about it, the ingredients are the same as this first course revisited in a creamy and velvety style for a unique taste experience! But let’s be honest, my friend Isa and I love this name!
Then imagine preparing these spaghettoni while singing the Margherita song by Cocciante?
Because Margherita is sweet, because Margherita is true
Because Margherita loves, and she does all night long
Because Margherita is a dream, because Margherita is the salt
Because Margherita is the wind and doesn’t know she can hurt
Because Margherita is everything, and she is my madness
A simple preparation, few minutes of cooking to serve at the table a first pasta course, in this case, velvety spaghettoni that will win over both adults and children. I will explain how to prepare this delicious dish, how to create the basil sauce that you can use, along with buffalo stracciatella, to season some bruschetta or crostini to serve as an appetizer.
I will guide you with the step-by-step video recipe found below, a first course so simple that it will become, I am sure, one of your favorites, saving you when you have little time to cook in many occasions!
If you are die-hard pasta lovers, then you can’t miss the recipes I’ve presented in recent months or if you’re even more curious, you can read the entire Easy, quick, and delicious First Courses Recipe Collection that I prepared for you this summer!
Then remember that I’m waiting for you every morning in the group and on the Facebook fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day, an unmissable appointment to start the day with a sweet or savory treat all together!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 304.40 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 33.35 (g) of which sugars 1.23 (g)
- Proteins 10.80 (g)
- Fat 14.45 (g) of which saturated 0.53 (g)of which unsaturated 0.57 (g)
- Fibers 2.69 (g)
- Sodium 556.06 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for two servings of Spaghetti Margherita pasta with tomato, basil, and buffalo stracciatella
- 6.35 oz spaghetti (in my case, thick spaghetti)
- 1/2 cup tomato puree
- 1 clove garlic
- 3.5 oz stracciatella (buffalo)
- 1 bunch basil
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Tools to prepare Spaghetti Margherita
- 1 Chopper
- 1 Paper towel
- 1 Pan
- 1 Pot
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Colander
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Tongs
Recipe steps for spaghetti Margherita pasta with tomato, stracciatella, and basil
Let’s start the preparation with the basil. First, wash it, then pat it dry well with paper towel. Pour some water into a small pot and place it on the stove to heat it. Almost boiling, we’ll blanch the basil leaves in hot water and then quickly transfer them to a bowl with ice and cold water. Pat the basil leaves dry and chop them, together with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, in a chopper.
Now let’s prepare the buffalo stracciatella. Tear it up while adding a little pasta cooking water that we will have placed on the stove to bring to a boil, without salting it yet. Set both these sauces aside for the moment.
Now let’s focus on the tomato puree. Take a non-stick pan, pour some extra virgin olive oil into it, and place it on the stove. Add a whole garlic clove and let the oil flavor for a few moments. Then remove the garlic and pour in the tomato puree along with a few basil leaves that we have previously washed and patted dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let the sauce cook on a low flame for about 10 minutes, approximately the time indicated on the spaghetti package we have chosen.
When the water in the pot comes to a boil, add the salt and then the spaghettoni. Leave the spaghetti al dente since we will slightly toss it also in the pan with the tomato sauce to flavor the Margherita pasta.
Then, drain the spaghetti and toss them in the pan, plate them, and then proceed to add, thus decorating, the two sauces we previously prepared for the Spaghetti Margherita. I preferred to add the buffalo stracciatella first and then the basil sauce, and finally, some smaller fresh basil leaves, a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil. We can finally enjoy this first course ready in less than 20 minutes!
All that’s left is to wish you a good appetite and remind you that I’m here every day with many easy, quick, and delicious recipes like this! If you enjoyed the Spaghetti Margherita, you can leave a comment on this recipe and if you like, share with me the photos of your dishes on social profiles!
Am I the only one craving a Margherita pizza now?
Tips and variations of the recipe:
Tips for preparing Spaghetti Margherita: do not overcook the tomato puree when heating it in the pan. You should get a creamy and velvety consistency, so do not burn the tomato as it becomes bitter; if needed, dilute it with oil or pasta cooking water.
Tear up the buffalo stracciatella well so as not to have lumps but a cream. If necessary, in this case, help yourself with pasta cooking water to create the right consistency.
Chop the basil as finely as possible when chopping it in the mixer. In this case too, the smaller the pieces, the more pleasant the texture will be and it will blend with the rest of the dish.
Possible variations: of course, first of all, the pasta. You can choose the format you prefer. For me, the thick and rough spaghettoni was the best choice for a creamy and enveloping dish like this! If you do not want to use buffalo stracciatella, you can opt for a mozzarella stracciatella, certainly cheaper and more easily available at the supermarket fridge.
