Easy Squid Pasta With Marinara Sauce

A restaurant-quality squid pasta with marinara sauce that is very inexpensive and easy to make! This seafood pasta recipe requires minimal ingredients. It's the perfect pasta to make as a weeknight dinner or on special occasions without breaking the bank.

In this recipe I will show you how to make delicious seafood dishes on a budget. This squid pasta will prove that you can make a five-star meal in your kitchen and at a fraction of what you’d pay at a restaurant.

About This Squid Pasta with Marinara Sauce Recipe:

The squid is gently simmered in a homemade garlicky tomato-sauce, then tossed with pasta as a complete meal.

This recipe is so easy to put together. It's probably not the quickest meal to make but it doesn't require a lot of cooking skills, preparation, or attention. 

Is Squid The Same Thing As Calamari?

Calamari means "squid" in Italian and Spanish. Most calamari is made from squid less than 12 inches in length, also refers as baby squid.

In the US we use the word calamari for our deep fried squid dishes. I enjoy those but prefer it even more when it’s not deep fried.

A quick tip that if you have ink from your squid don’t throw it away as you can use it to make squid ink pasta!

Squid Pasta Ingredients:

This fancy dish doesn't require a ton of ingredients. Here's what it contains:

1. Squid, tubes and tentacles
2. San Marzano tomatoes, canned
3. Garlic
4. Dry white wine
5. Clam juice or broth
6. Italian seasoning
7. Spaghetti or Fettuccine

If you don't have any access to clam juice, you can skip or use chicken broth as a replacement item.

The Best Way to Cook Squid:

Squid is cheap, versatile, and tasty. It can be grilled, fried, boiled, braised, or seared. Squid should either be cooked fast over high heat or slow over low heat.  

In this recipe, you are going cook the squid in the sauce over low heat until tender for about 20-25 minutes.

Homemade Marinara Sauce

There is nothing better than real, homemade marinara sauce.

This marinara sauce is made from scratch, using ingredients you probably already have in your pantry; garlic and San Marzano tomatoes.

I also added clam juice and dry white wine to elevate flavors and bring a bright and fresh element to the seafood pasta.

This marinara sauce is easy to cook, but tastes like it took hours to make! 

How to Make Squid Pasta

Here are some important steps to follow.

Step 1. Make Marinara Sauce

• First, sauté garlic just until fragrant
• After that, add white wine and cook until the liquid is reduced to about half the quantity.
• Next, add clam juice, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened (enough sauce to cover the cooked pasta, about 1½ cups).

• Last, add fresh squid. Cook over low heat until very tender for about 20-25 minutes. Do not allow to boil.

Step 2. Cook Pasta

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta for about 2 minutes less than the direction for al dente (cooked through but still firm). Drain the pasta well and return it to the pot.

Easy Squid Pasta With Marinara Sauce

Step 3. Combine All Ingredients

First, you need to remove the cooked squid from the marinara sauce. Add molto al dente pasta (slightly under cooked) to the sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Add the squid back into the sauce. Stir to combine.

How to Store Leftover Seafood Pasta

First, let the seafood pasta cool at room temperature but no longer than 2 hours. After that, store the leftover in an airtight container.

The leftover pasta can last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.

CHECK OUT MORE PASTA RECIPES:

• INSTANT POT PENNE PASTA
• CAJUN CHICKEN ALFREDO PASTA
• ONE-POT PENNE PASTA
• CANNED TUNA PASTA
• WHITE SAUCE PASTA
• BRATWURST PASTA RECIPE (IN A BUTTERY BEER SAUCE)