Bobby Flay Taught Ina Garten His Go-To Easy Pasta, and We’ll Be Making It on Repeat

I’m always in search of another go-to weeknight pasta dish — who isn’t? — and the latest addition to my repertoire of easy dinner ideas comes (unsurprisingly) from celebrity chef, restaurateur, and Food Network star Bobby Flay.

While appearing on a recent episode of Be My Guest, Ina Garten’s podcast and television show, Flay shared with the Barefoot Contessa what his favorite easy pasta is. In fact, it’s so easy that he declares, “This pasta dish really could not be simpler,” and it’s undoubtedly the kind of no-recipe recipe that everyone should keep in their back pocket — especially because it relies on just one flavor-packed pantry staple.

What’s Bobby Flay whipping up? Don’t stop reading once you hear the star ingredient, just hear me out. The celebrity chef teaches Ina Garten how to make fresh pasta with anchovy butter and chives. If you’re not already converted to loving these tinned umami-filled fish, this meal would be a great way to learn how delicious they can be (there are zero big chunks of anchovy involved, and it’s hard not to like any sort of buttery pasta).

If you don’t trust me, trust the restaurant that inspired Flay’s favorite dish — he tells Garten that his anchovy pasta is based on one from Roscioli, an acclaimed restaurant in Rome that’s known for everything from its salumi to cocktails and traditional plates of pasta. (To give you a picture of just how beloved the restaurant is, Flay notes that it's very difficult to get a reservation — although I’d imagine he wouldn’t have trouble acquiring one.) The Food Network star actually made this pasta alongside the chef at Roscioli, so he knows exactly how they do it, but he’s altered the technique — not the ingredients — to suit his taste.

There are four components in this free-form recipe: the pasta, anchovy butter, breadcrumbs, and chives. Flay starts with the breadcrumbs. And he has a clever technique for seasoning them; the chef explains that he prefers to crush garlic into a paste, instead of finely mincing it. Something as small as breadcrumbs helps the aromatic more evenly coat and flavor.

To break down the garlic, Flay recommends roughly chopping it and then sprinkling kosher salt on top. Use the flat side of the knife to then press down and crush the garlic, rubbing the salt into it. (The coarse granules will help grind the salt into a paste.)

How much garlic or salt should you be using? Again, this is a no-recipe recipe, and it’s a great way to exercise your ability to taste and season as you go. If you like a lot of garlic, add more! If you don’t, use less.

From there, heat some olive oil and a little butter in a pan — the oil will help prevent the butter from burning — add your garlic, then the breadcrumbs, and cook them until they’re toasted and golden brown. As Flay points out, you don’t want some breadcrumbs to burn while others are still pale, so watch them carefully and stir regularly to ensure they’re uniformly cooked. 

Once the breadcrumbs have taken on a golden hue, finish them with some fresh lemon zest, remove the mixture from the pan, and set aside (I’d recommend putting them on a paper towel-lined plate so any excess oil can drain). 

Next up, the star of the show: anchovy butter. You’ll need room temperature butter for this, because it’s easier to mix. Combine the butter, anchovies (it’s probably best to use oil-packed anchovies, not salt-packed, in this case, so you can manage the salt levels more easily), black pepper, and salt in a food processor, and blend to combine.

This is another point where you’ll need to taste for seasoning. Adjust the amount of anchovies in the butter to your liking, and make sure you start by adding only a little salt. The fish will be salty too, so once you taste the blended butter, you can decide if you need more — it’s always better to begin with less and add more later, since you can’t remove salt after you incorporate it. When the butter is perfectly seasoned, with the anchovies thoroughly puréed and dispersed throughout, set it aside.

Now it’s time to make the pasta. Bobby Flay is using fresh fettuccine, but I’m certain you could use dried pasta, and any noodle shape should work. (Although a longer noodle might pair best with the silky, simple sauce.) 

Bring salted water to a boil, then cook your pasta according to the package directions until al dente — the latter part is important because the pasta will continue cooking in a pan later, and you don't want it to become mushy. If you’re using fresh pasta, as the host of Beat Bobby Flay mentions, it’ll cook incredibly quickly, likely in about 90 seconds. While the pasta is boiling away, finely chop a lot of chives.

Once the pasta is cooked, add it to a large sauté pan along with a generous splash of the pasta water. (Garten and Flay emphasize the importance of utilizing the starchy nature of pasta water to thicken your sauce as they're chatting together — and as they point out, it’s a free ingredient!) Melt the anchovy butter onto the pasta, turn the heat to low, and start tossing everything together until a glossy, thick sauce forms. 

Turn off the heat when the pasta water and butter have emulsified and thickened, and then add in the chives and toss everything a little bit more to incorporate them. Serve each plate of pasta and top with plenty of lemony, garlicky breadcrumbs!

While the two famous chefs and TV stars are enjoying their plates of pasta, Bobby Flay says that his favorite meal to host is actually lunch. Ina Garten notes that she’s been to a few of his mid-day gatherings — and loves them — which Flay describes as always a “beautiful, leisurely, three-and-a-half-hour, lots-of-wine lunch.”

That sounds like an excellent way to spend a Saturday afternoon to me, and I’m pretty sure anchovy pasta would be an easy way to feed all the friends I'll have over next weekend.