Spaghetti with summer caponata
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: 30 min
- Cook time: 25 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Average
PRESENTATION
Spaghetti with summer caponata is one of those dishes that really brings the colors and flavors of Sicily right to your table. And look, what makes this Sicilian caponata recipe stand out is how it turns all those fresh veggies—like eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers—into a super creamy and bright sauce. You get this awesome mix of tender veggies, plus that salty kick from capers and rich Taggiasca olives. It's not your usual pasta sauce; it's all about that velvety texture hugging every strand of spaghetti. Folks in Sicily love to let the natural sweet taste of summer veggies shine, but they balance it with briny stuff, so nothing feels too heavy. For sure, there’s a reason why summer caponata pasta ends up on so many tables when it’s warm—it’s light, full of flavor, and feels like eating a summer garden with every bite.
Throughout southern Italy, people take a lot of pride in their traditional Italian recipes, and this one? Pretty much no different. Instead of a chunky stew, the caponata here becomes a creamy sauce just right for tossing with pasta. The result is a bowl of spaghetti with caponata that’s both easy-going and a little special, perfect for a chill get-together or a laid-back lunch. The smell of basil and roasted eggplant fills the kitchen—and the pasta? It comes out golden and moist, with each forkful packed with Mediterranean flavors. And, here's the thing, while you’ll spot variations in different towns—sometimes extra pine nuts or even raisins for a bit of sweetness—the heart of this dish stays the same: good veggies, simple techniques, and a love for sharing food. That's why easy summer pasta recipes like this keep showing up year after year, bringing people together around the table. It's the kind of food that just makes you want to dig in, enjoy another helping, no matter how hot it is outside. And really, it's so, so good.
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INGREDIENTS
- for the caponata
- Eggplant 10.5 oz (300 g)
- Red peppers 1 cup (150 g)
- Yellow peppers 5.3 oz (150 g)
- Cherry tomatoes 1.3 cups (200 g)
- Zucchini 1.7 cups (200 g)
- White onions 1 cup (150 g)
- Taggiasca olives 1.8 oz (50 g)
- Capers in vinegar 1.1 oz (30 g)
- for the basil sauce
- Basil 4 cups (100 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil 3 ½ tbsp (50 g)
- Water 1.8 oz (50 g)
- Fine salt to taste
How to prepare Spaghetti with summer caponata
To make the spaghetti with caponata, start by peeling and chopping the onion 1. Then dice the red and yellow bell peppers very finely 2 and the eggplants 3.
Do the same with the zucchini 4, then cut the cherry tomatoes into small wedges 5. Immediately after, sweat the onion in a pan with a little oil until translucent 6.
As soon as it’s ready, add the bell peppers 7, the eggplants 8 and the zucchini 9.
Cook everything over medium-high heat for 5 minutes 10, season with salt and add the cherry tomatoes 11 and the olives 12.
Finish with the capers 13 and cook for another 10 minutes. To give the sauce a creamy texture, take two tablespoons of vegetables from the pan 14 and place them in a small container with a splash of water 15, just enough to emulsify the caponata.
Blend with an immersion blender 16 and then return the purée to the pan with the rest of the sauce 17. At this point, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti, taking them out 2 minutes before the time indicated on the package 18.
While the pasta cooks, chop the pine nuts 19 and prepare a basil sauce: in a small container place the fresh basil 20 with a drizzle of oil 21.
Add about 1.7 fl oz (≈50 ml) of water 22, season with salt 23 and blend everything with an immersion blender 24.
Set this emulsified sauce aside 25. Loosen the pan sauce with a ladle of the pasta cooking water 26. Then drain the spaghetti directly into the pan with the sauce 27.
Toss briefly 28. Finally, finish everything with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and plate. Spoon a little basil cream onto the base of each plate 29, place a nest of spaghetti on top and finish by sprinkling with the chopped pine nuts. The spaghetti with summer caponata are ready to be enjoyed 30.