Spaghetti With Arugula and Sardines
Updated January 7, 2026
- Ready In
- 30 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
Salt
1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
2 garlic cloves
2 lemons
3 tins sardines packed in olive oil (about 4 ounces each)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more as needed
5 ounces baby arugula
2 ounces Parmesan, shaved with a vegetable peeler
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
60 grams carbs; 87 milligrams cholesterol; 461 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 459 milligrams sodium; 29 grams protein; 3 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and shake dry.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, into a large bowl, finely grate the garlic and the zest of the lemons. Juice the lemons into the bowl (about 6 tablespoons juice). Hold the sardines back while you drain the oil from the tins into the bowl. Add the crushed red pepper and stir to combine.
- Step 3
When the pasta’s ready, add to the bowl and toss to coat. Gently stir in the arugula, sardines and Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and crushed red pepper. If the pasta or arugula is dry, drizzle with olive oil and toss again.
Private Notes
Comments
This was an excellent, quick and tasty dish. I added an additional clove of garlic because I like garlic. I also added the crushed peppers into the juice and lemon zest prior to adding the noodles, arugula and sardines because my wife is a little adverse to the heat of hot peppers. By adding into the olive oil and lemon juice, I toned the crushed peppers down a little. I also added a little more olive oil as recommended because it was a little dry. I give this two thumbs up.
I do like the use of pantry ingredients and bold flavors, but I prefer about 2 oz of dry pasta per serving, so would use 1/2 lb for 4 people and double the arugula ( or add another green like parsley, watercress or spinach).
We make this with anchovies, which is so delicious much tastier!
Elegant and tasty. I put the sardines in the oven on 375 for 20 minutes and they were nice and crispy. Red pepper flakes made a difference and was an unexpected nice touch. I ran out of parm cheese and substituted blue cheese. Delicious.
Great quick meal. I used yellowfin tuna in EVOO and followed the rest of the recipe. Very satisfying and tasty. The lemon is a key ingredient.
Thanks for a great recipe, Ali! It was definitely worth buying better sardines from Spain: meaty and not fishy. I added extra arugula but will stay with Ali’s proportion next time. Also surprised at the difference it made to peel rather than grate the Parmesan. I’ll probably use a short pasta next just so I can enjoy it faster!