Pasta Puttanesca
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Full of lots of bold salty savory flavors, this authentic Pasta Puttanesca recipe is a delicious famous Italian classic that is super quick and easy to make! It’s perfectly cooked pasta tossed together with an incredible chunky tomato sauce that is seasoned with garlic, capers, kalamata olives, and anchovies!
What Is Pasta Puttanesca?
Also, known as spaghetti alla puttanesca, pasta puttanesca is a classic Italian pasta dish that was invented in the mid-20th century in Naples. It’s typically made with spaghetti, but any type of pasta can be used. However, the sauce is pretty much always made with canned diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil, kalamata olives, capers, and anchovies that are simmered together for just a few minutes before being tossed with noodles.
That being said, as with any classic dish, you will find different variations of pasta puttanesca in different regions of Italy. For example, the Neapolitan version doesn’t include anchovies. And different spices are sometimes added. But the dish itself is always based on salty savory ingredients that create lots of bold deliciousness.
The recipe I’m sharing here is an authentic version of this classic. It’s based on the principles of a true puttanesca that you would find in Italy. However, this dish is very flexible, so feel free to customize the recipe if you like. For example, by omitting the anchovies if you prefer or adding more dried red chilis.
Why You’ll Love This Pasta Puttanesca
- Quick And Easy! This easy 20-minute meal is perfect for weeknights. It’s made with a handful of easy to find pantry staples and only requires 3 simple steps.
- Authentic Recipe! This recipe is true to its roots. Made with olives, capers, and anchovies just like the classic, my puttanesca will take your taste buds to Italy.
- Plant-Based Option! Omit the anchovies and you’ve got an incredible plant-based meal. Cooking doesn’t have to be hard for different diets even if you’re entertaining.
- Spaghetti – Puttanesca is typically made with noodles so I used spaghetti, but any type of pasta will work. Even penne, farfalle, and rigatoni are options.
- Olive Oil – You want to use extra virgin olive oil. Ideally, Italian and of decent quality for the most flavor.
- Garlic – Fresh minced garlic is always the best choice. Jarred store-bought garlic sometimes has an odd sour taste after it sits in the fridge.
- Kalamata Olives – A type of Greek olive commonly used in Italian cuisine. You can use black olives if you can’t find kalamata olives.
- Capers – They are very salty like olives, but capers are actually tiny little flower buds. You will find them sold in jars near the olives at the market.
- Anchovy Fillets – Adds a lovely salty savory touch to the pasta. However, you can omit this ingredient if you like.
- Red Pepper Flakes – Just a dash adds the perfect touch of spice to the dish.
- Diced Tomatoes – You’ll need a large can of diced tomatoes. They are used to make the sauce.
- Sugar – A pinch of sugar is used to balance out the saltiness of the olives, capers, and anchovies. Sugar is also added to cut out some of the acidity from the tomatoes.
- Seasonings – Salt and pepper are used as needed to season the dish.
- Basil – Used to garnish the dish and add a layer of wonderful fresh herb flavor. You can also use fresh parsley.
It only takes 3 easy steps to make this unbelievably flavorful dish. Just like my Cacio e Pepe recipe, all you have to do is boil some noodles, whip up a simple sauce, and toss them together! From start to finish, this is a 20-minute meal!
There is no pasta puttanesca without pasta! So let’s get the spaghetti cooking! First, bring a well salted large pot of water to a boil and then cook the pasta according to the package instructions or until it reaches al dente. Then reserve one cup of the pasta water and drain the rest. Now, set both the noodles and water aside.
You should begin this step while the pasta is cooking. To start, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Then add the garlic, olives, capers, anchovies, and red pepper flakes to the skillet and stir. Now, cook the mixture for 30 seconds to a minute just until it’s fragrant.
Next, add the diced tomatoes along with the sugar, salt, black pepper, and about ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer the puttanesca sauce for 10 minutes.
After the sauce has simmered for a bit, add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet and then toss everything together until all the noodles are fully coated. At this point, if the sauce is too thick or the dish seems too dry, just add a bit more pasta water to thin it out. Then serve immediately with some fresh basil to garnish, parmesan cheese, and Easy Focaccia if you like.
What Does Puttanesca Mean In Italian?
Puttanesca literally translates to “in style of the whore”, but historians don’t truly know how the dish got its name. Some say it got its name because it was made by prostitutes to lure clients in with its delicious smell. But many Italians believe that isn’t the case and it got its name from someone using profanity to describe the dish and what was meant to mean, “I just tossed a bunch of crap together from the cupboard and put it in a pan”, turned into a different translation over the years.
What Can I Use If I Don’t Have Anchovies?
There are several things that can be used in place of anchovies. If you aren’t trying to make the pasta puttanesca plant-based, canned tuna is a great substitute. However, if you want to omit any type of fish altogether you can simply just use more olives or capers if you like. You could even replace the anchovies with mushrooms.
Expert Tips
- Use quality ingredients. The key to making delicious Italian dishes is using better-quality ingredients. The simple recipes are known to be uncomplicated so that the ingredients stand out.
- Salt your pasta water. You want your pasta water to taste salty like the sea. This helps to season the bland noodles by infusing them with flavor as they cook.
- Make it vegetarian. If you omit the anchovies this dish is completely vegetarian. And if you omit the parmesan too the dish is now totally vegan.
Storage
Leftover pasta puttanesca will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. To reheat, sprinkle it with a tablespoon of water to add some moisture, and then pop it in the microwave on medium power for a few minutes. You can also reheat it in a pan on the stovetop if you prefer. It’s also super yummy cold too. However, it does not store well in the freezer.
Other Delicious Pasta Recipes To Try
- Creamy Avocado and Spinach Pasta
- Shrimp Scampi
- Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Pesto Shrimp Asparagus Pasta
- Creamy Garlic Butter Spaghetti
- Pasta Pomodoro
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Pasta Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti (uncooked)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ cup Kalamata olives (roughly chopped)
- ¼ cup capers (drained)
- 4 anchovy fillets (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 28 ounce diced tomatoes (1 large can)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh basil (for garnish)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water then drain the pasta.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, olives, capers. anchovies and red pepper flakes to the skillet and stir. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the diced tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, sugar and about ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta into the sauce and toss everything together. If the sauce is too thick add a bit more of the pasta water to thin it out.
- Serve immediately garnished with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese if preferred.
Video
Notes
- Use quality ingredients. The key to making delicious Italian dishes is using better-quality ingredients. The simple recipes are known to be uncomplicated so that the ingredients stand out.
- Salt your pasta water. You want your pasta water to taste salty like the sea. This helps to season the bland noodles by infusing them with flavor as they cook.
- Make it vegetarian. If you omit the anchovies this dish is completely vegetarian. And if you omit the parmesan too the dish is now totally vegan.
- Leftover pasta puttanesca will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. To reheat, sprinkle it with a tablespoon of water to add some moisture, and then pop it in the microwave on medium power for a few minutes. You can also reheat it in a pan on the stovetop if you prefer. It’s also super yummy cold too.
- However, it does not store well in the freezer.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
After a long day in the garden, helping my husband put up a fence, I was looking for a quick and delicious dish. This exceeded my expectations. It was everything I had in my pantry, and it was quick to prepare. I used whole wheat pasta and a few more cloves of garlic. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Outstanding!
It looks great, glad you enjoyed it!
This was delicious… I had some sun dried tomatoes in the fridge so I tossed them in ,this recipe was truly delicious. It was also very easy and quick to make will certainly be making again and again. Thank You Jo…
My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it! Love the idea of adding some sun dried tomatoes to it.
Jo this recipe was really so easy but so so delicious. The leftovers the next day were even better. I have made this recipe twice already!
So glad you liked it!
Looks delicious
Love this recipe, flavorfull and easy to prepare love the hint of the sugar
I was surprised how fast I made it and really easy
This sounds delicious. I have all the ingredients in the house. However, l imagine a splash of red wine while the garlic is cooking would add interest to the flavor! CAN’T WAIT TO TRY THIS!!!
Yes, a splash of red wine would be great! Let me know how you like it!
This is exactly how I have been making this dish for years and it is wonderful. If I have sun-dried tomatoes on hand I will chop them up and add it to the sauce. It add richness to the dish.
Oh I bet the sun dried tomatoes are wonderful.
Would Castelvetrano olives be good in this recipe?
Those are green olives if I’m not mistaken. You can use them but traditionally puttanesca is done with black olives though, up to you. 🙂