Calamarata Pasta with Squid and Tomatoes
Updated Jul 14, 2025, Published on Jan 12, 2023
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About this Calamarata Pasta with Squid and Tomatoes recipe
This calamarata pasta with squid and tomatoes dish is a light and flavorful seafood pasta. It's full of fresh flavors such as white wine, lemon, and parsley. The brown butter breadcrumbs kick up the heartiness level just a tad and add the perfect salty crunch. The breadcrumbs are definitely optional though, so feel free to leave them out to lighten up this dish.
I have seen others cook with Calamarata Pasta and I was immediately obsessed! After checking my regular grocery store with no success, FINALLY I found the shape at World Market.
I had never cooked with squid until I made this Calamarata pasta with squid and tomatoes, but I am here to tell you to not be scared of squid! I purchased a pack of frozen Squid from my regular grocery store. It was a pleasant surprise to discover how inexpensive and easy to prepare the squid was. Just thaw the squid in the fridge and pat dry once thawed. Separate the tubes and tentacles then slice the tubes into rings. The tentacles weren't large so I just left them whole.
This recipe would be perfect with a light and refreshing spinach or arugula salad with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. You could also serve this pasta dish with some steamed broccoli or broccolini with a drizzle of olive oil or lemon juice.
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If you like seafood pasta, check out these recipes as well:
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Calamarata (pasta with squid and tomatoes)
Ingredients
Brown Butter Breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1/8 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
Pasta
- 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 Shallot, minced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes, optional; more or less to taste
- 11 oz Squid, I used a package of frozen Calamari Tubes and Tentacles
- 1/4 cup White Wine , dry such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 10 oz Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Capers, optional; drained
- 1/2 Lemon, juice and zest
- 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, chopped; additional to serve
- 8 oz Calamarata Pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water
Instructions
Brown Butter Breadcrumbs
- Melt salted butter over medium heat. Stir frequently for 2-3 minutes. The butter will start to foam up and then subside. It should smell nutty and toasted. You will see light brown specks forming. Keep a close eye on the butter because it can quickly burn.
- Pour in panko breadcrumbs. Stir to incorporate with the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for another 1-2 minutes until the panko is golden and toasted.
- Immediately transfer to a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside to serve.
Pasta
- If using fresh squid, clean the squid and separate the tubes and tentacles. Slice the tubes into rings that are a similar size to the pasta. Leave the tentacles whole. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta while making the rest of the dish. Cook the pasta in salted water to al dente according to package instructions. Reverse about 1/2 a cup of pasta water.
- Heat olive oil in a large high-rimmed sauté pan over medium heat. Add minced shallots and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often until lightly golden and fragrant. Optionally, add red pepper flakes and cook another minute.
- Add the squid and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the white wine and cook for another 2 minutes allowing the alcohol to evaporate.
- Pour in the sliced grape/cherry tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook over medium low heat for 5 minutes.
- Optionally add capers. Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lemon and add the fresh parsley.
- Transfer over the cooked pasta straight to the squid and tomato mixture. Add splashes of pasta water as needed to reach your desired consistency. Toss everything together well. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately with additional lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh parsley, and the brown butter breadcrumbs.
Video
@carolbeecooks Obsessed with this calamarata pasta shape 🦑 #pastatiktok #seafoodpasta
♬ original sound - Carolyn | Easy Recipes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
