Description
Pasta Puttanesca is a vibrant and flavorful Italian dish featuring a bold sauce made from anchovies, black and green olives, capers, garlic, and tomatoes, tossed with perfectly cooked spaghetti. This quick and easy recipe comes together in under 20 minutes, making it a perfect weeknight meal with a tangy, savory punch.
Ingredients
Scale
Anchovy & Sauce Base
- 1 2oz tin fillet anchovies + oil
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic OR 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Other Sauce Ingredients
- 1 cup black olives, halved
- 1 cup green olives, halved
- 1 3.5oz jar capers, drained
- 28oz can kitchen ready tomatoes
- 1/2 cup red wine
Pasta
- 1 16oz box spaghetti
Instructions
- Boil the Pasta: In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a few dashes of salt and the spaghetti. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
- Prepare the Sauce Base: While the water heats, drain the oil from the anchovy tin and add the anchovies oil plus 1 teaspoon olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat, heating until shiny and hot. Roughly chop the anchovies, then add them along with the minced garlic to the skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to release their flavors.
- Build the Sauce: Deglaze the skillet with the red wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. Add the black and green olives, drained capers, and canned tomatoes. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes, while the pasta finishes cooking.
- Drain the Pasta: When the pasta is done, reserve about a cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the spaghetti.
- Toss Pasta with Sauce: Return the pasta to the large pot, pour in the thickened sauce, and toss to combine. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time if the sauce seems too thick to coat the spaghetti evenly.
- Serve and Garnish: Serve immediately, optionally garnished with freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley for extra flavor and color.
Notes
- Reserve some pasta cooking water to adjust the sauce consistency if needed.
- Use good quality anchovies and olives for best flavor.
- Parmesan and parsley garnish is optional but adds nice finishing touches.
- Be careful not to overcook the spaghetti; al dente texture is ideal.
- Red wine enhances depth of flavor but can be omitted if preferred.
