The Easiest & Most Delicious Pasta You'll Ever Make! | John & Lisa's Weekend Kitchen

Pink spaghetti

From: John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen (presenters John/Jono and Lisa)

Ingredients

• Spaghetti — amount unspecified (start boiling a potful).
• Onions — 2 (a couple), chopped.
• Olive oil — a little, for frying onions.
• Tomatoes — a couple of handfuls, ripe and quartered (older/soft tomatoes are fine).
• Olives — drained and halved (plain olives or black olives optional).
• Anchovies — optional (used in the shown version).
• Capers — a couple of spoonfuls (they also say “a couple of teaspoons”); include a little caper brine.
• Dried chillies / chilli flakes — to taste.
• Black pepper — to taste.
• Cheese — for grating on top, to taste.
• Optional additions: bacon, prawns, extra olives.

Equipment & prep

• Large pot for boiling pasta.
• Frying pan or skillet (keep very hot for finishing the sauce).
• Grater for cheese.
• Mug or small container to reserve pasta/pasta water.
• Knife and board for chopping.
• Colander or drain (note: do not fully drain the pasta into the sink).

Method

1. Begin boiling the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water.
2. Sweat the chopped onions:
   • Heat a little olive oil in the pan, add the onions and cook until fragrant and beginning to fry.
   • Tip: add a small splash of water if the onions stick — it creates steam and helps them cook through quickly.
3. Add the quartered tomatoes to the onions and toss as they cook.
   • Cook until the tomatoes break down and the sauce turns pink. This happens quickly; cook longer if you want a thicker reduction.
4. Season the tomato base:
   • Add black pepper, chilli flakes (to taste), drained/halved olives, anchovies (if using), capers and a splash of caper brine.
   • Taste and keep the sauce well-seasoned — the pasta will absorb a lot of flavor.
5. Reserve starchy pasta water:
   • Before the pasta is done, scoop out a mugful of the cooking water (starchy, cloudy liquid). Do not fully drain the pasta into the sink.
6. Finish the pasta in the sauce:
   • Transfer the hot spaghetti directly into the hot pan/sauce — “pasta in the sauce, not sauce in the pasta.”
   • Toss vigorously over heat so the sauce binds to the pasta. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen and bring the sauce together.
   • Cook just until the spaghetti turns pink and the sauce and pasta are fully combined. Keep very hot.
7. Turn off the heat and plate:
   • Lift a large load of spaghetti from height into a bowl so it falls naturally.
   • Grate cheese over the top and serve immediately while very hot.

Chef tips & common mistakes

• Add a splash of water when frying onions to prevent sticking and speed cooking by steam.
• No garlic is needed for this dish (per presenters).
• Older, slightly soft tomatoes are fine — they break down and add flavor.
• Make the tomato sauce well-seasoned and robust; avoid a weak or “washy” sauce.
• Never fully drain the pasta — use starchy pasta water to marry sauce and pasta.
• Always combine pasta with the sauce in a hot pan (pasta into sauce).
• Reserve a mug of pasta water to loosen a too-thick sauce.
• When plating, don’t fuss — let the pasta fall naturally into the bowl.

Variations

• Plain pink spaghetti (no extra add-ins).
• Anchovies + capers + olives + chilli flakes (featured version).
• Add bacon or black olives for a different flavor.
• Prawns with spaghetti for a “posh” version.
• Use this sauce base for pizza or other tomato-based dishes — any cupboard ingredients can be added.

Plating & serving suggestion

• Serve very hot with grated cheese on top.
• Present by dropping the pasta from height into the bowl rather than arranging it carefully.

Source

John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen (presenters John/Jono and Lisa).