Recipe: Sardine pasta with crunchy parsley crumbs
Blog | Recipe
14 Jul 2025
We love this affordable bone-friendly pasta dish from our friends at .
The sardines in this recipe provide a source of protein, calcium and vitamin D, all important for maintaining bone health, making it a great summer meal idea.
Recipe
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 50g dried breadcrumbs
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 rosemary sprig, leaves finely chopped
- 2 x 120g cans sardines, drained
- 500貹ٲ
- 50g sliced black olives, drained
- 350g linguine or fusilli
- small pack parsley, leaves chopped
- 25g parmesan, finely grated
Method
- Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a low-medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until they start to turn golden. Add another 1 tsp oil and the garlic. Cook, stirring, for a moment, then tip onto a plate and set aside to cool.
- Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Return the frying pan to a medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil with the rosemary and the sardines. Cook for 2-3 minutes, gently breaking up the sardines with a wooden spoon. Pour in the passata, add the olives and leave to simmer gently for about 10 mins.
- Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook following the instructions on the packet. Stir the parsley and half of the parmesan into the breadcrumbs. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add a splash of the water to the tomato sauce until it’s thin enough to coat the pasta, then stir in the remaining parmesan.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce and serve in bowls, each topped with a handful of the crunchy breadcrumbs.
Find more recipes
Discover the now at Good Food and learn what nutrients your bones need, beyond calcium and vitamin D, in our Nutrition resources.