Harrison Ford’s Easy Spaghetti Recipe

If you, like me, love when celebrities do relatable things (like picking up their kids from school or wearing sweatpants), you probably also love learning about what they get up to in the kitchen. Their food choices—from their go-to fast food order to a prized family recipe—provide a glimpse of the person behind the star.

Harrison Ford, for example, once shared a recipe for his favorite pasta, Spaghetti with Spicy Tomato Sauce, in the Celebrity Pasta Lovers’ Cookbook published by Barilla to fundraise for America’s Second Harvest (which is now Feeding America). It’s a quick and easy dish, but one that’s full of flavor.

The dish, which was interpreted by Giada De Laurentiis for the cookbook, begins with cooking onion, garlic and anchovies in a bit of olive oil. After a quick three-minute saute, black olives, capers, white wine and seasonings, including crushed red pepper, are added.

Once that mixture has reduced by half, a can of crushed tomatoes is added. Everything simmers for about 20 minutes to blend the flavors.

Once the timer is up, 1 pound of cooked spaghetti is added right to the sauce, along with a bit of pasta water to create a luxurious sauce. The last touch is a bit of fresh basil, then it’s ready to enjoy.

As a registered dietitian myself, I love this recipe. After all, it’s simple and easy, and getting you to cook is my ultimate goal. When a recipe requires lots of ingredients and time, cooking at home can seem like an uphill battle. This recipe comes together quickly, using many canned ingredients, and can be ready in less than 30 minutes.

Plus, it’s cost-effective. Feeding a crowd of hungry humans can get expensive, so I love that Ford’s recipe includes dry pasta and canned foods, which are often on sale and can sometimes be lower in price than fresh items, especially when many veggies are out of season.

And while this recipe is already teeming with antioxidant-rich veggies, I love that you can customize it for your own health. There are plenty of ways to increase the healthfulness of this dish. Olives and capers can be high in sodium, but you can easily reduce the amounts by half or choose one or the other to lower the overall sodium. If you’re after more fiber, choose a whole wheat spaghetti, and if you’d like some additional protein, add a can of garbanzo or cannellini beans. Serve it as a side dish alongside lean chicken breast or fish, and pair it with a salad for a complete meal.

So why not eat like a celebrity at home? Harrison Ford’s recipe for Spaghetti with Spicy Tomato Sauce proves that it’s definitely possible. With a few cost-effective pantry staples, a nourishing dish can be on your table in less than 30 minutes. If you need a few more 30-minute options to try during busy weeks, go for our Marry Me White Bean & Spinach Skillet or Lemony Salmon Rice Bowl with Feta, Cucumber & Tomato Salad.