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Pasta with sardines, cherry tomatoes and basil

An everyday dish for 2, ready in 25 minutes, around $2.26 a serving. People actually plan it with Popotam, and it's in season in October.

25mintotal
≈ $2.26a serving
494kcalper serving
19gof protein
In season in OctoberFreezes well
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Pasta with sardines, cherry tomatoes and basil, a serving idea
AI-generated image · Serving idea
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Step-by-step recipe

check things off as you go

  1. Bring the water to a boil

    Fill the saucepan with water, salt it generously and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat.

  2. Prep the ingredients

    While the water heats up, cut the cherry tomatoes in half, crush and finely chop the garlic, then pick the basil leaves. Drain the sardines and save their oil.

  3. Cook the pasta

    Drop the 200 g of penne into the boiling water and cook for the time on the package, about 10 min. Before draining, set aside a glass of pasta water.

  4. Sauté the garlic and tomatoes

    While the pasta cooks, heat the tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic for 30 seconds, then the cherry tomatoes and let them cook down until they slump.

  5. Add the sardines

    Flake the sardines into the skillet with a fork, add a spoonful of their oil and warm 1 to 2 min over low heat. Add pepper, and go very light on salt since the sardines are already salty.

    Tip · Flake the sardines without stirring them too much, they turn to mush fast. They just need to warm up.

  6. Drain and toss

    Drain the pasta and tip it into the skillet with a little splash of pasta water. Toss 1 min over low heat to coat.

    Tip · Add the pasta water a little at a time, it binds the sauce and makes it silky without adding any fat.

  7. Finish with basil

    Turn off the heat, add half of the basil and toss. Serve on two plates and sprinkle with the rest of the basil.

And there you go, it's readyCheck off every step to celebrate.

The questions you're asking

short answers, numbers you can check

How many calories in a serving?

One serving has about 494 kcal. 63% comes from carbs, 15% from protein and 19% from fat.

78 gCarbs
19 gProtein
11 gFat
Per serving (the dish for 2, divided by 2)
Energy494 kcal
Protein18.9 g
Carbs77.7 g
of which sugars6.5 g
Fat10.5 g
of which saturated fat1.9 g
Fiber4.1 g
Salt0.2 g

Worked out ingredient by ingredient with the ANSES Ciqual 2025 table, never written by an AI. It's an estimate: veggie sizes and brands make the numbers vary.

How much does it cost?

About $2.26 a serving, adding up the average prices of the ingredients you need to buy.

≈ $4.53for 2 people
≈ $2.26a serving

Pantry salt, oil and spices aren't counted. Your store and your brands will move the total, but the ballpark is right.

How long does it keep?

1 day in the fridge, in a closed container, once cooled within two hours. After that, into the freezer it goes.

1 dayin the fridge
Yesin the freezer, thaw it in the fridge the day before

Times Popotam uses for meal prep, based on ANSES guidance, rounded down. The details: how long cooked dishes keep.

and the rest of the week?

Popotam plans your whole week

Lunch and dinner, with dishes like this one, based on your tastes, your time and your budget. The grocery list is sorted by aisle. Free, no account.

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With the same ingredients

penne, sardines in olive oil, cherry tomatoes…