Pasta Puttanesca is a classic Italian pasta dish that is ready in under 40 minutes! It’s easy to make and uses simple ingredients that you likely have on hand in your pantry. Serve this over your favorite pasta for a quick dinner.
Pasta Puttanesca is a dish I have been wanting to make for a while. Who doesn’t love a big comforting bowl of pasta packed full of flavor? I decided to make this recipe because I already had most of the ingredients in my pantry, and I was not disappointed.
Pasta puttanesca is a tomato based sauce that gets a punch of flavor from a trio of salty powerhouses: olives, capers, and anchovies. To balance these out, add in garlic, onions, and chili flakes (for a spicy kick). All these flavors combine together to give you a satisfying and addicting meal. You won’t be able to put the fork down!
What are the ingredient to make Pasta Puttanesca?
All of the ingredient you likely already have in your pantry or refrigerator. And if you don’t, you should, so you can always easily whip this pasta dish up.
- Canned tomatoes
- Jarred capers
- Anchovy paste or canned anchovies
- Kalamata olives
- Garlic
- Onions
- Olive oil
- Chili flakes
- Pasta of choice
There is no meat in pasta puttanesca so the sauce doesn’t have to simmer for a long time. However, even without the meat, this sauce becomes a full-bodied sauce, as if it’s been on the stovetop simmering all day.
Anchovies. Really? Yes, Really
A pantry staple that lasts long in the tin, anchovies are a key ingredient in this dish. I’m often hesitant to cook with anchovies, but I promise they add amazing umami flavor to this dish. If you don’t want to buy the canned whole anchovies, purchase anchovy paste like I did.
Anchovies don’t make the sauce taste fishy at all. In fact, you probably won’t even notice the anchovies in there. They melt into the sauce, adding more complex flavor and a savory depth, and shouldn’t be skipped.
If you’re vegetarian you can skip the anchovies and increase the amount of olives and capers.
Don’t love olives or capers?
Kalamata olives straight out of the jar have a strong taste. However, within the sauce they impart an amazing flavor that’s not overpowering. Capers add a nice briny flavor to the dish. Be sure to drain and rinse before adding them to the sauce. Even if you’re not an olive or caper person, I still think you should give this dish a try.
Variations
While the classic pasta puttanesca sauce doesn’t have eggplant, I added sautéed eggplant because I had it in the refrigerator. It reminded me of when I put my eggplant caponata on pasta and is a great way to add more veggies. As always, you can alter and add ingredients to suit your tastes.
- Add additional protein- grilled chicken, shrimp, sliced steak or beans
- Pasta- While this dish is often made with spaghetti, other long pastas also work well such as linguine, angel hair, or bucatini. For gluten free, use gluten free pasta.
- Use a legume or lentil based pasta for additional protein or substitute zucchini noodles for low carbohydrate
- Use fresh or dried herbs- parsley, basil or oregano add a lot of flavor as a garnish
- Vegetarians, omit the anchovy paste. For vegan, omit the parmesan cheese garnish.
Looking for more easy dinner recipes?
Outside of this pasta puttanesca recipe, here are a few more of my favorite easy dinner recipes:
Lemon Garlic Marinated Chicken
Stuffed Mexican Sweet Potatoes
Pasta Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 4-5 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 tsp anchovy paste or 3 anchovy fillets chopped small
- ¼ cup red wine
- 1 28 oz can plum tomatoes (pulsed lightly in blender) or can of crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup Kalamata olives pitted & sliced
- 2 Tablespoons capers drained and rinsed
- Black Pepper to taste
- 1 lb dried pasta
- 1 small eggplant peeled and cubed (optional)
- Garnishes: parmesan cheese basil, parsley, oregano
Instructions
- Optional: If using the eggplant, heat a large skillet over medium high heat, lightly coat the bottom of the pan with oil. Once the oil is hot, add the eggplant and sauté until golden brown and soft, 7-10 minutes. May have to work in batches, pending the size of the eggplant, you don’t want to overcrowd the pan. Once eggplant is done, set aside. Add the eggplant to the sauce when you add the capers and olives.
- Warm the tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the onions until soft and translucent, 3-5 mins. Add the garlic, chili flakes and anchovy paste. Sauté the mixture until the anchovy paste has dissolved and the garlic is just starting to golden, 1-2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a simmer, let simmer ~2 minutes.
- To the onion mixture, add the pulsed tomatoes (or can of crushed tomatoes) and bring the sauce to boil. Then reduce the heat, and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the capers and olives to the tomato sauce, stir until well combined. (Add the eggplant if you are using). Continue to simmer until the pasta is done. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed
- As the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil (once at a boil add teaspoon of salt).
- When the pasta water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce to combine. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese and finely chopped fresh herbs to taste.
Nutrition Facts
This pasta puttanesca dish is one you can turn to when the last thing you want to do is spend time laboring in the kitchen. It’s a perfect, simple meal to whip up on a weeknight for your family or significant other.
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