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Table of Contents
If you’re a fan of Italian food (and who isn’t), you’ll want to add this recipe to your dinner rotation. Like most Italian pasta dishes, it has a simple, yet fabulous combination of flavors, which is why it’s one of our most popular pasta dishes.
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
This recipe was created in December 2018. The most recent update was in March 2025.
Our sardine pasta recipe (pasta con le sarde) stays true to the spirit of the classic Italian dish but has been adapted for American kitchens. We’ve replaced the fresh sardines that are commonly available in Italy with a high-quality tinned version packed in olive oil and included fresh breadcrumbs toasted in garlic for added flavor and texture. The result is a simple, flavorful dish that’s become a weeknight go-to in our house.
★★★★★
“Absolutely loved this recipe! Saving it to my family’s favorites. My picky eight year old is a fan of sardines, but I was hesitant to try a new recipe than our usual. She exclaimed that she loved it as she cleared her dish! So grateful to add a new recipe to our repertoire.“
Paola
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.
- PASTA: Our favorite pasta for this dish is either spaghetti or linguine. Angel hair is a bit too delicate, and while you can use shorter cuts of pasta, we feel that the breadcrumb mixture clings to longer noodles much better.
- SARDINES: We recommend using sardines packed in extra-virgin olive oil. When you choose good quality sardines, they have a clean, subtle fish flavor much like albacore tuna. Wild Planet boneless, skinless sardines packed in extra-virgin olive oil is the brand we like best. Since we make this dish often, we buy them in a twelve-pack on Amazon and keep them on hand for a quick and easy “pantry” dinner.
- FRESH BREADCRUMBS: Fresh, homemade breadcrumbs are best for this dish because they absorb the flavors of the other ingredients so well. Panko crumbs can be substituted in a pinch.
- CAPERS: While not essential, we think capers add a deliciously briny quality that complements both the sardines and the lemon beautifully, but no worries if you’re not a fan, just leave them out.
- LEMON ZEST: The vibrant flavor of freshly grated lemon zest is the perfect balance for the sweetness of the sautéed onion.
- CRUSHED RED PEPPER FLAKES: We happen to like a little bit of kick in this dish, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili sauce adds just the right amount. It’s an optional ingredient though, so feel free to omit it if you like.
Tips For Using Tinned Sardines
NO NEED TO RINSE: It’s unnecessary to rinse sardines packed in olive oil and for this dish, you’ll want to make use of that flavorful oil. Sardines packed in water should be drained, but they don’t need to be rinsed either.
THE BONES ARE EDIBLE: If you happen to buy sardines that aren’t marked as boneless, don’t worry, you don’t need to do any extra prep. Sardines have soft, edible bones, and quite honestly, it’s doubtful you’ll ever even know the bones are there.
How to Make Sardine Pasta
Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
MAKE THE TOASTED BREADCRUMBS: Drain the sardine oil into a pan and set the fish aside. Heat the oil, sauté garlic until fragrant, then add fresh breadcrumbs. Season lightly and cook, stirring, until crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
SAUTÉ THE ONION: In the same pan, add olive oil and sauté the onion with a pinch of salt and pepper until soft and golden.
ADD THE SARDINES: Add sardines, gently break them up, and heat through. Stir in lemon zest, parsley, capers, and crushed red pepper. Remove from heat and cover.
COOK THE PASTA: Cook pasta per package instructions, reserving some cooking water. Drain and add pasta to the sardine mixture.
FINISH THE DISH: Toss everything together, adding reserved pasta water as needed to coat. Add breadcrumbs, toss again, and serve with lemon wedges and black pepper.
Side Dish Suggestions
We generally round out a meal of sardine pasta with a side salad, but occasionally we make sautéed fresh spinach. Once we drain the pasta and add it to the sardine mixture we heat a little olive oil in the empty pasta pot and sauté the spinach for about 2 minutes. Super easy and it doesn’t make extra dishes.
Recipe Variation: Anchovy Pasta
Anchovies are rich in umami – that coveted fifth taste that makes a wide variety of savory foods so appealing, so even if you’re not a fan of them on pizza or salads, we’d be willing to bet you’d find the subtle, rich flavor they lend to this recipe variation (also of Sicilian origin) to be absolutely delicious. Instructions are included in the printable recipe below.
More Pasta and Seafood Recipes To Try
If you’re a seafood lover, treat yourself to one (or all) of these pasta dishes featuring scallops, calamari, shrimp, and crab.
- Scallops and Pasta With White Wine Butter (an easy, yet elegant dish)
- Calamari Pasta with Homemade Marinara (learn to cook squid to tender perfection)
- Shrimp fra Diavolo (deliciously spicy and easy to make)
- Linguine with Crab (buttery with delicate crabmeat and fresh tomatoes)
Sardine Pasta (Pasta Con le Sarde)
Ingredients
- 6 ounces spaghetti or linguine
- 1 tin sardines packed in extra-virgin olive oil, (see notes)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs, (see notes)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium-sized sweet onion, chopped (3/4 to 1 cup)
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, (optional)
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
- Drain the olive oil from the sardines into a frying pan and set the fish aside.
- Heat the pan over medium heat, add the garlic, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the breadcrumbs, season lightly with salt and pepper and continue cooking, stirring often, until the crumbs are lightly toasted and crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.
- Return the pan to the stove and add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped onion, season lightly with salt and pepper, and sauté until soft and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the sardines, break them apart gently, and cook just long enough to heat them through, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon zest, parsley, capers, and crushed red pepper. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Drain the pasta and add it to the sardine mixture.
- Toss all the ingredients together, adding the pasta water, one or two tablespoons at a time, as needed to help coat the pasta and distribute the sardines and sautéed onion.
- Add the toasted breadcrumbs, toss again, and plate individual servings. Garnish with lemon wedges and a sprinkling of black pepper if desired.
Notes
- Omit the sardines from the ingredient list and replace them with 6 anchovy fillets, lightly rinsed (to remove some of the saltiness) and chopped.
- Follow the recipe instructions for making the garlic breadcrumbs, increasing the quantity of garlic to 4 cloves and replacing the olive oil from the sardines with 2 added tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Follow the recipe instructions for sautéeing the onions (step #5). Once they’re lightly caramelized, add the anchovies and continue cooking, stirring often, until they break down and blend with the onions.
- Continue with the recipe instructions from step #7.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Used Trader Joe’s sardines with chili. Added more heat to it. The roasted bread crumbs made the dish!
Hi Jenny,
I’m glad you liked the dish. Thanks for sharing the tip about the sardines with chili – adding a little heat is a nice touch.
Great recipe. I make it weekly, and have been adding a small handful of fresh herbs from my garden, and not just parsley. I’ve also been using Trader Joe’s grilled sardines in a tin.
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your kind comment. In my opinion, you can never have too many fresh herbs. Also, I had no idea Trader Joe’s had grilled sardines, but now that I do, I’ll be sure to try them. I appreciate the info.
Hi,
I made this recipe because I happened to have all the ingredients. After adding the breadcrumbs the pasta was very dry, even after adding the pasta water. Did anyone else experience this?
Hi Dorene,
Although this is not a particularly saucy pasta recipe to begin with, if the sardines themselves are slightly less fatty than average it can make a difference. Like any natural food, they do vary slightly batch to batch, so should you want to try the dish again, add a tablespoon of olive oil or butter in addition to the oil from the sardines when you toast the crumbs. That should help.
My husband loves sardines. This is his all time favorite recipe for pasta with sardines
Hi Marlene,
I’m glad to hear you and your husband enjoy the sardine pasta and appreciate you taking the time to let us know. We love it for an easy dinner and the bonus is that sardines are good for you too. It’s a win-win!
Absolutely loved this recipe! Saving it to my family’s favorites. My picky eight year old is a fan of sardines, but I was hesitant to try a new recipe than our usual. She exclaimed that she loved it as she cleared her dish! So grateful to add a new recipe to our repertoire.
xx
Hi Paola,
I’m so glad you and your daughter enjoyed our version of this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to let us know.
This was delicious!!! I cannot digest dairy, but the toasted breadcrumbs, using the olive oil…
It tasted like Parmesan cheese! Will definitely make this again.
I didn’t have capers, next time!
Made this for Father’s Day…just the 2 of us. I only had a small tin of smoked sardines,3oz. I think from Trader Joe’s, so upped the bread crumbs. Everything else as per recipe. We loved it. Had some of the sardine/breadcrumb mixture left and will stuff it into some small sweet peppers to see if it will make a nice appetizer. What do you think?
Hi Bev,
I’m glad to hear you liked the pasta. I wasn’t sure what to expect the first time I made it, but now it’s one of our favorites. I think the sardine and crumb mix stuffed into those mini sweet peppers would be delicious. Nice idea – thank you so much for sharing it.
It was really good! Thank you for sharing
Thanks Andrea. I’m glad you liked it.
Wonderful! So glad I found this recipe. I highly recommend adding the capers. Yummy!!
Hi Rhonda,
I’m glad you enjoyed the pasta recipe. I agree about the capers. They add a little contrasting flavor that I happen to enjoy.
This is a perfect pantry dish. Requires a few ingredients many have on hand – I didn’t have onion, so I substituted with a large shallot. Recommend you have the ingredients ready – mise en place -because this comes together very quickly.