Spaghetti con la Mollica (Sicilian Breadcrumb Pasta)

Name: Spaghetti con la Mollica (Sicilian Breadcrumb Pasta)
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400g spaghetti; 80g fresh white breadcrumbs, from stale bread; 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 6 anchovy fillets in olive oil, roughly chopped; 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 1 tsp dried chilli flakes; 1 lemon, zest only; 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped; 2 tsp salt, for the pasta water; 100ml pasta cooking water, saved

Spaghetti tossed with garlicky anchovy oil and crisp golden breadcrumbs, the Sicilian way of making a few pantry things taste special.

Time25 min
LevelEasy
Costabout £1.07 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

4 servings

Ingredients

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400 gspaghetti
80 gfresh white breadcrumbsfrom stale bread
5 tbspextra virgin olive oil
6anchovy fillets in olive oilroughly chopped
3garlic clovesthinly sliced
1 tspdried chilli flakes
1lemonzest only
3 tbspflat leaf parsleychopped
2 tspsaltfor the pasta water
100 mlpasta cooking watersaved

Method

1
Boil the spaghetti in a large pan of well salted water for about 10 minutes, until just tender. Scoop out a mug of the cooking water before you drain.
10 min
2
While it cooks, heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir for 5 minutes until deep golden and crunchy. Tip them into a bowl and wipe out the pan.
5 min
3
Add the rest of the oil to the pan with the garlic, chilli flakes and anchovies. Cook gently for 3 minutes, stirring, until the anchovies melt away and the garlic is pale gold, not brown.
3 min
4
Add the drained spaghetti and 100 ml of the cooking water. Toss over the heat for 1 minute so the oil clings to every strand.
5
Take off the heat and stir in the lemon zest, parsley and half the breadcrumbs. Serve in warm bowls with the rest of the crumbs scattered on top.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.