By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on October 3, 2026
Serves 4
748 cal · 50 min
Bigoli in Salsa
Recipe GLPR8f47cb8cfab0a7
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Average rating: 4.0 (1)
A classic Venetian pasta dish featuring whole wheat spaghetti coated in a silky anchovy sauce made with caramelized onions and white wine. The salt-packed anchovies dissolve into the sauce, creating a rich, savory depth without fishiness. This simple yet elegant dish embodies the essence of Northern Italian coastal cooking.
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Ingredients
8 oz Salt-packed anchovies
1½ cup Dry Friuli white wine (such as Tocai Friulano)
½ cup Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large Large yellow onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
12 oz Whole wheat spaghetti
Salt
Directions
Rinse the salt-packed anchovies under cool running water to remove excess salt. Gently pat dry and place in a small bowl. Pour the white wine over them and let soak for 10 minutes to soften slightly.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
While the water heats, warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onion and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized and very soft, about 25–30 minutes. The onions should turn a rich golden brown.
When the onions are nearly caramelized, remove the anchovies from the wine soaking bowl and add them to the skillet along with the wine. Increase the heat to medium and stir gently, breaking the anchovies apart with a wooden spoon as they warm. They will dissolve into the oil and wine within 3–5 minutes, creating a silky sauce. Taste and adjust salt as needed (the anchovies provide saltiness, so add sparingly).
Cook the whole wheat spaghetti in the boiling salted water according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
Transfer the hot drained pasta to the skillet with the anchovy sauce and toss gently over low heat for 1–2 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add pasta water a few tablespoons at a time until it reaches a light, glossy consistency that coats each strand.
Divide the pasta among four bowls and serve immediately while hot.
Comments
Bigoli in Salsa is a six-ingredient Venetian dish that checks nearly every box for a Charlotte weeknight, but anchovy sourcing matters. You'll find canned anchovies at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Walmart, and Kroger without trouble, though the quality varies and a stop at an Italian market (Aldi or specialty grocers) might yield better paste or packed versions for closer to $3–5 instead of $1–2 at mainstream chains. The pasta, onions, and wine are ubiquitous; expect a total cost around $8–10 for four servings, or $2–2.50 per plate, making it genuinely cheap. The stated 50 minutes is honest if you count boiling water and cooking pasta, but the actual hands-on time is 15 minutes—mostly slow-cooking the onions down to jam. This is a set-and-forget dish that rewards patience and produces a glossy, mild sauce that rehashes perfectly and doesn't demand second-course vegetables. The catch: if you've never melted anchovy into oil before, expect surprise at how the fishiness dissolves into umami rather than announcing itself. It's not fussy, but it is unfamiliar to many home cooks outside Italian households.
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