Sicilian-Style Spaghetti Alla Carrettiera (Fresh Tomato and Garlic Sauce)

I learned about carrettiera sauce when I was working for the chef Cesare Casella, who had me scouring old Italian cookbooks from Italy's Maremma valley—a geographic expanse that runs along the country's western coast from northern Lazio (home region of Rome) up into southern Tuscany—for a new restaurant he was opening.

What Is Spaghetti Alla Carrettiera?

The story behind the recipe is that it was invented by the carrettieri, cart drivers who more than a century ago would journey from town to town, selling anything and everything citizens might need. Cooking and eating while on the road takes ingenuity, and they would put together easy pastas using shelf-stable pantry ingredients they had tucked into their carts. 

But the more research I did, the more puzzled I became. Different recipes varied so much, I wasn’t sure why they shared the same name. Sometimes fresh tomatoes appeared instead of canned ones, maybe basil instead of parsley, and sometimes instead of cooking the sauce everything was tossed raw with the hot pasta and cooking water. Which one, I wondered, was the real carrettiera?

The Differences Between Sicilian and Roman Spaghetti Alla Carrettiera

Then I realized there were geographical influences. The fresh sauce versions tended to come from Sicily while the canned tomato ones seemed to center around Rome. What they had in common was the cart driver who had different ingredients in their cart depending on where they traveled. Farther north meant preserved mushrooms and fish and tomatoes. But perhaps in the south, fresh tomatoes were more abundant. 

This Sicilian version couldn't be quicker or easier to make: Grate some tomatoes, mix with raw minced garlic, chopped basil, olive oil, and red pepper flakes, then toss with cooked spaghetti and some of its starchy water as soon as it's cooked. Some toasted breadcrumbs, meanwhile, help thicken and emulsify the sauce.

Because the sauce is heated only by the pasta and its cooking water, it retains all of its fresh tomato and basil flavor. It reminds us a little of tomatoey pesto alla Trapanese, except this recipe is even simpler and faster to whip up.

Variations of the Recipe

This is just one example, though. Some Sicilian recipes add grated Sicilian Pecorino cheese or ricotta salata, while others omit the tomatoes. The variations are endless (as you travel farther north to Rome, the sauce shifts to a cooked version packed with shelf-stable ingredients like canned tomato, canned tuna, and dried porcini mushrooms).

Keep that in mind when you make this: You can make your own version based on what you have on hand. Don't have fresh basil? Some fresh parsley works well, too. Low on tomatoes? Make an in bianco ("white") version without them. Just like the cart drivers of long ago, your carrettiera sauce can be whatever you need and want it to be.