Bougie Budget Pasta

Alright, it's time to improvise! Sardines, specifically canned those sardines in tomato sauce, is one of the most ubiquitous, budget-friendly food in every Filipino household. The best thing is that you don’t have to worry about the bones because they have been cooked to a point where the bones are insanely soft!

I wanted to have my sardines with a bun and have a sardines sandwich. But guess what? The only carb I had was capelli d’angelo aka angel hair pasta) I know, first world struggles.

So I decided to make capelli d'angelo ala sardines...yup, a fancy name for sardines pasta but let's go with it. I was actually surprised at how good this looked and tasted. The angel hair pasta quickly cooked in 3 minutes. That’s instant right there! The pasta was so thin and light that it paired perfectly with the sardines sauce. I feel like they would have made this dish even better. So if there was anything I would change in this recipe, I would definitely recommend adding these for next time.

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Capelli d'angelo ala sardines

Ingredients:

Angel after swimming in the sea

• 3 ounces of dried capelli d’angelo/angel hair pasta

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic – chopped

• 3 tbsp onions – chopped

• 1/2 tomato - chopped tomato

• 2 tsp of ground black pepper

• 1 can of sardines in tomato sauce

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 2 tbsp pasta water

For added drama (for garnish)

• 3 green onions – chopped

• A lemon wedge or a splash of lemon juice

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Instructions:

1. In a pot full of water, add a bit of salt and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling water, add in the capelli d’angelo/angel hair pasta. This baby gets done in 3 minutes but be sure to check the package. Don't forgt to reserve some pasta water to use later for the sauce.

2. Heat a separate pan on medium heat. Add the olive oil, chopped onions, and garlic. Cook it until it becomes fragrant and the onions have softened.

3. Add in the canned sardines in tomato sauce, tomato, and water. Season it with ground black pepper.

4. Using a spatula, chop the sardines into bits and pieces. If needed, add in 2 tbsp of pasta water to loosen the sauce and bring the heat to medium-low heat. Let it cook for 3 minutes. Toss in the dried oregano.

5. On a plate, top your pasta with the sardines sauce.

6. Garnish with more chopped green onions and squeeze some lemon juice. Dig in!