Jollof Spaghetti

Jollof spaghetti is a pasta dish inspired by the West African classic jollof rice. Spaghetti is cooked in a tomato and pepper sauce, and served as is or topped with meat.

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This jollof spaghetti recipe was the inevitable result of my love for jollof rice combined with my love for pasta. And I'm excited to say that it was even better than I expected!

In short, jollof spaghetti is spaghetti that's cooked in a jollof sauce. This sauce is made by pureeing peppers, tomatoes, scotch bonnet peppers, curry powder and thyme. We add a little chicken or vegetable stock to the sauce, and cook the dry spaghetti directly in the same pot as the sauce.

I love this dish because it's simple, but flavorful. I make my jollof spaghetti quite spicy, but you can absolutely adjust the spice to suit your preferences.

If you like this recipe, you should also try my Spicy Harissa Pasta!

🥘 Ingredients

For this recipe you will need red peppers, scotch bonnet peppers, onion, canned plum tomatoes, curry powder, dried thyme, vegetable stock or chicken stock (or water + stock cubes) and spaghetti.

You will also need a large pot, as well as either a blender or an immersion blender to make the sauce smooth.

🔪 Instructions

Place roughly chopped peppers, canned tomatoes, scotch bonnet peppers (stems removed), and onions in a blender. Blend until it reaches a smooth consistency. If you don't have a blender, you can place them in a bowl or pot and use a hand blender instead.

Pour the sauce into a large pot, and add dried thyme, curry powder and stock. Heat the sauce up to a simmer on medium heat. Add spaghetti. Leave it to cook until the spaghetti has cooked through. Keep an eye on the dish, as you might have to add more liquid.

There is just enough sauce to completely coat the spaghetti, but you're not meant to have an excessive amount of sauce for this recipe. If you still want to bulk it out, you can add some extra tomato sauce, canned diced tomatoes, or stock.

💭 Top tips

Here are my best tips for making the perfect spicy jollof spaghetti:

• The scotch bonnet peppers control the heat in this dish. Use ½-1 pepper with the seeds removed for a milder jollof sauce, and use 2 peppers with the seeds for a spicy sauce.
• You can use canned plum tomatoes, or whole 4-5 whole roma tomatoes. They will both work the same.
• If you wish to bring out more flavor from the dish, you can leave the sauce to cook for about 20 minutes before you add the spaghetti. As a result, you might have to add a little extra stock as the liquid will reduce.

🥗 Serving suggestions

Jollof spaghetti is typically enjoyed as a main course for lunch or dinner. You can serve it as is, or with a side dish. Salad, roasted vegetables, fried plantain and bread are all good options.

If you want, you can top the spaghetti with fried, roasted or grilled meat and seafood. Chicken and shrimp are my personal favorites.

🍲 Leftovers

Jollof spaghetti stores really well. Here is how you can best take care of your leftovers:

Storing: Store jollof spaghetti in a refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve it cold, or reheat before eating. Pasta tends to absorb sauce overnight, and the dish will therefore appear drier the next day.

Freezing: You can freeze jollof spaghetti in a freezer safe container for up to 6 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before use.

Storing the sauce: You can also make the sauce and store this separately, either in a refrigerator or in a freezer. Cook a big batch of sauce and freeze it down in portion sizes for quick and easy future meals.

Reheating: You can reheat the pasta in a microwave for a few minutes. Alternatively, you can use the stove top.

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📋 Frequently asked questions

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