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Classic Pasta Puttanesca is one of my favorite Italian recipes. Coax maximum flavor out of just 7 ingredients in this easy pasta dinner idea.
Ranking right up there with Bolognese, aglio e olio, carbonara, marinara, pesto, and cacio e pepe, you’ll find puttanesca sauce near the top of the list of the most popular Italian pasta sauce recipes.
Pasta Puttanesca is actually a relatively recent culinary invention, dating from the middle of the twentieth century, where it is said to have been dreamed up in the Campania region of Italy.
The true origin of Puttanesca is debated, one of the stories involves a restaurant owner who needed to feed his last table of diners at closing time. All he had was a few tomatoes, a couple olives, and capers, so he threw them in the pan and the rest is food history.
My Pasta Puttanesca proves that you can coax major flavor out of just 7 ingredients. This easy pasta recipe also asks for just 15 minutes of hands-on time. After allowing the tomato magic to simmer together, you’ll be treated to an Italian dinner that tastes like so much more than the sum of its parts.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Capers: Capers are the little pickled blossoms of a French shrub. With some people, it’s a love-hate thing. It’s your dinner, so if you detest capers, skip them. However, if you’ve never had them, I highly recommend giving the briny beauties a shot, especially in this salty and savory puttanesca sauce! I suggest 4 tablespoons capers for the 6-serving sauce. Scale up or down as you see fit.
- Anchovy filets: While anchovies are easy to find in the tinned fish section these days, I seek out olive oil-packed anchovies in a little jar for easy storage. You can also opt for a generous squirt of anchovy paste instead; this is sold in toothpaste-like tubes at specialty grocery stores or online. It lasts for months in the refrigerator and is handy for adding a little umami pow! to a sauce, soup, or stew. One ¼ teaspoon anchovy paste is equal to one anchovy filet. I recommend doubling up on the fish if you adore anchovies.
- Spaghetti: This recipe calls for spaghetti, but it’s certainly not the end-all, be-all of pastas for puttanesca. Other long, thin noodles like linguine or bucatini also works beautifully.
Step by step instructions
- In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 9 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain well.
- In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook until garlic begins to turn golden, but not scorched, about 1 minute.
- Stir in capers, anchovy fillets, olives, tomatoes, and crushed red pepper (I like 1 teaspoon). Heat to boiling, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until slightly thickened, about 30-40 minutes.
- Add the pasta to the pot with the sauce and toss until evenly coated. Thin with pasta water if needed. Serve with Parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh basil.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes six generous servings of a little more than 3 ounces of pasta. I find this rich enough that this Pasta Puttanesca portion satisfies as a main dish, but multiply as desired. To make this a heartier meal, feel free to serve it with a light protein like grilled shrimp or chicken on the side (or tossed in). Or pop open a couple cans of tuna to drive home the tinned fish angle.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. The pasta can be cooked, cooled, and stored in the refrigerator one day in advance. Rinse with very hot water before stirring into the hot sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pasta Puttanesca translates literally to prostitute’s pasta. ‘Puttana’ in Italian means prostitute, but don’t let that deter you from making it. Despite its racy name, it’s probably more due to an Italian colloquialism, ‘una puttanata qualsiasi’ meaning “any old garbage.” When it’s late, you’re hungry, and all you have is some stuff in the pantry, you throw what you have together and serve it over pasta. Voila!
The “best” kind of pasta for a recipe is mainly determined by the qualities of the sauce itself. Magic ensues when you create pasta recipes that strike that beautiful balance in which the noodle accentuates the special qualities of the sauce.
Is the sauce thick and chunky, like a beef ragu? A sturdy cut like tagliatelle is terrific. Is it creamy and studded with smaller bits like peas and prosciutto? Try orecchiette or penne. That makes it easy to scoop up and construct a balanced bite. Is the sauce lighter and brighter, like puttanesca or a marinara made with fresh tomatoes or canned San Marzano tomatoes? Thin, long, yet sturdy options like spaghetti, bucatini, and linguine work well.
For a restaurant-style finish, use a vegetable peeler to shave shards of Parmesan cheese over each serving. (Grated Parmesan is also delightful as a garnish.) Fresh herbs are always a good idea. Add a sprinkle (or a handful) of chopped fresh parsley, chiffonade basil leaves, chopped fresh oregano, or a dash of dried oregano if you don’t have any fresh on hand.
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Pasta Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti (see note 1)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoon capers (see note 2)
- 4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained (see note 3)
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives halved
- 2 (28 ounce) cans Italian-style whole (plum-shaped) tomatoes drained and chopped
- Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- Parmesan cheese for serving
- fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 9 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain well.
- In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook until garlic begins to turn golden, but not scorched, about 1 minute.
- Stir in capers, anchovy fillets, olives, tomatoes, and crushed red pepper (I like 1 teaspoon). Heat to boiling, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until slightly thickened, about 30-40 minutes.
- Add the pasta to the pot with the sauce and toss until evenly coated. Thin with pasta water if needed. Serve with Parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh basil.
Notes
- Spaghetti: This recipe calls for spaghetti, but it’s certainly not the end-all, be-all of pastas for puttanesca. Other long, thin noodles like linguine or bucatini also works beautifully.
- Capers: Capers are the little pickled blossoms of a French shrub. I highly recommend giving the briny beauties a shot, especially in this salty and savory puttanesca sauce! I suggest 4 tablespoons capers for the 6-serving sauce. Scale up or down as you see fit.
- Anchovy filets: While anchovies are easy to find in the tinned fish section these days, I seek out olive oil-packed anchovies in a little jar for easy storage. You can also opt for a generous squirt of anchovy paste instead; this is sold in toothpaste-like tubes at specialty grocery stores or online. One ¼ teaspoon anchovy paste is equal to one anchovy filet.
- Yield: This recipe makes six generous servings of a little more than 3 ounces of pasta (uncooked weight). I find this rich enough that this Spaghetti alla Puttanesca portion satisfies as a main dish, but multiply as desired.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Actually, the story I heard was that the next day after the bride’s wedding night, the bed sheet was hung on the balcony with the red spot on it to show the bride was a virgin!