Pasta Puttanesca Recipe

Name: Pasta Puttanesca
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup finely chopped onion; 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 3-4 canned anchovies, chopped; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 2 tablespoons small (non-pariel) capers; 3/4 cup (95 g) pitted olives (black or green), roughly chopped; 1 pound spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine; Salt; Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Of all the dishes I’ve cooked over the years, pasta puttanesca holds a special place in my heart. I’ve been making it regularly since the late 1980s, when I was a freshman in the dorms at SUNY Stony Brook.

Puttanesca was the first “adult” meal I ever cooked by myself for myself; I’d done clunky versions of traditional “date night” dishes for girls before that, but this simple pasta sauce was my go-to meal after long, long days at track practice.

Video: How to Make Pasta Puttanesca

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Pasta Puttanesca

The Ingredients for Pasta Puttanesca

Puttanesca is the quintessential "I'm tired" meal, as it is almost entirely made up of pantry staples:

Canned tomato paste
Crushed tomatoes
Canned anchovies
Jarred olives and capers

The only chopping required is a little bit of onion and as much garlic and parsley as you want. You turn the water on to cook the spaghetti, and by the time the pasta is cooked the sauce is ready. Done and drinking beer (or doing homework) in 30 minutes.

How to Make Pasta Puttanesca — Elise Bauer

What Does Puttanesca Mean?

It was only later that I learned the origins of this sauce. I'd made it for a female friend who was Italian, and she said, "Oh, harlot's sauce." I might have snickered. She explained that the legend of this sauce was that it easy to prepare for anyone who works when markets were closed — and ladies of the evening certainly fit that bill.

So do newspaper reporters. In the years I worked as a journalist, working past 9 p.m. was the norm, not the exception. Puttanesca was always there for me when I got home, however, and in a half an hour I could throw myself down in front of the TV, watch ESPN or somesuch, and eat a home-cooked meal.

All these years later, I still make puttanesca whenever I am tired or stressed. It's one old habit I never want to break.

What to Serve With Pasta Puttanesca

For some extra garlic, serve this pasta with Garlic Bread or Garlic Knots. You can also round out the meal with a leafy green salad, like a simple Caesar Salad.

Storing and Freezing Leftovers

If you do have any leftovers, they'll keep for a few days in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave.

The sauce (without the spaghetti) also freezes quite well. Freeze for up to three months and thaw in the fridge.

Love Italian Pastas? Try These!

Pasta Puttanesca

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

Spaghetti is the traditional pasta for this recipe, but any kind of pasta will work.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 to 4 canned anchovies, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons small (non-pariel) capers
3/4 cup (95g) pitted olives (black or green), roughly chopped
1 pound spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat pasta water:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 Tbsp of salt for every 2 quarts of water). While the water is heating, start making the sauce.
Cook onions, anchovies, garlic:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, deep sauté pan. When the oil is hot, cook the onions until they're soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, stir in the chopped anchovies along with some of the oil from the can.

Add the finely chopped garlic and cook another minute.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Make the sauce:

Mix in the tomato paste and cook it for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, chili pepper flakes, olives, and capers. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then lower the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer, 10 to 15 minutes.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Cook the spaghetti:

When the salted pasta water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, to al dente, cooked but still slightly firm.
Finish the sauce:

Stir the parsley into the pasta sauce. Add some pasta water into the sauce to thin it if it has become too thick.
Serve:

Drain the pasta and put in a large bowl. If you want, mix a little olive oil into the pasta so the pasta doesn't stick together.

Add a ladle's worth of sauce to the pasta and mix to combine. Serve in shallow bowls with more sauce on top.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
427	Calories
10g	Fat
72g	Carbs
14g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	427
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g	13%
Saturated Fat 2g	8%
Cholesterol 3mg	1%
Sodium 659mg	29%
Total Carbohydrate 72g	26%
Dietary Fiber 6g	23%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 19mg	93%
Calcium 104mg	8%
Iron 6mg	31%
Potassium 693mg	15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.