Adding a small amount of anchovy paste to a homemade pasta bake sauce could give it a deeper savoury flavour, according to cooking guidance from BBC Good Food. The inexpensive ingredient, often costing around 95p, can be stirred into the sauce while it cooks.
Anchovies are known for bringing a salty, umami flavour to sauces and dressings. Although they have a strong reputation for their distinctive taste, cooking them into a sauce can produce a subtler result. BBC Good Food notes that anchovies can be dissolved into sauces to add savoury depth, and its spaghetti bolognese guide recommends a touch of anchovy for extra saltiness.
How to Use Anchovy Paste in a Pasta Bake
That makes anchovy paste particularly useful in dishes where the sauce is already packed with tomato, garlic, herbs or cheese. Rather than dominating the finished dish, a small amount can work more like a seasoning, adding another layer of flavour underneath the other ingredients.
There is already evidence of the same technique being used in baked dishes. BBC Good Food's artichoke, anchovy and caper bake cooks anchovies with onion, garlic, vegetables and tomatoes before the mixture is transferred to a baking dish.
For a pasta bake, the simplest approach is to add a small amount of anchovy paste while the sauce is cooking and stir until it has fully incorporated. It can then be combined with the cooked pasta before being topped with cheese and placed in the oven.
Salt Content and Cost Considerations
Because anchovies are naturally salty, it is worth tasting the sauce before adding extra salt. BBC Good Food describes anchovies as both umami-rich and high in sodium, so a little can go a long way.
The claimed 95p price will depend on the product and retailer, so shoppers should check their local supermarket rather than assuming every jar or tube costs the same. What is supported by cooking guidance, however, is the use of anchovy as a way of adding savoury depth to sauces and baked dishes.
For anyone looking to make a familiar pasta bake taste a little more substantial, anchovy paste is therefore a simple cupboard addition worth considering. The key is to use it sparingly and allow it to cook into the sauce rather than expecting the finished dish to taste strongly of fish.
