Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Recipe video above. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a traditional Italian pasta from Naples with a sauce based on pantry essentials. This plants it firmly in the (excellent) emergency-meals collection!You don't need much salt in Puttanesca sauce because the olives, capers and anchovies provide the seasoning. Don't skip the anchovies - sauteeing it cooks out the fishy flavour and it just dissolves in the sauce, leaving behind savoury flavour you can't get from just plain salt. You'd have to have a finely attuned palette to even know it's in the sauce!

Ingredients

  • 200g / 7oz spaghetti

    or other long pasta

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

    plus more for drizzling

  • 2 garlic cloves

    finely minced, knife, not garlic press

  • 3 anchovy fillets

    finely minced, Note 1

  • 1/4 cup pitted black olives

    preferably in oil, quartered, Note 2

  • 1 tbsp capers

    drained, Note 3

  • 1/4 tsp chilli flakes

    red pepper flakes

  • 400g / 14oz can crushed tomato

    or hand crush whole canned tomatoes

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tsp fresh oregano

    roughly chopped, sub 1/4 tsp dried

  • 1/8 tsp kosher / cooking salt

    or 2 pinches table salt

  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp sugar

    if needed, depends on tomato quality, Note 4

  • 2 tbsp fresh basil

    roughly chopped, Note 6

Directions

  1. 1

  2. 2

    Prepare: Bring a large pot of water to the boil, ready for the pasta. Warm serving bowls (I microwave 1 minute).

  3. 3

    Cook garlic: Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for 15 seconds until it starts turning golden.

  4. 4

    Cook anchovies: Add anchovies, capers, olives and chilli flakes. Cook for 1 minute.

  5. 5

    Tomato: Add tomato, then add the 1/2 cup of water into the can. Swirl around to rinse then pour into the skillet.

  6. 6

    Simmer: Add oregano, salt and pepper. Stir, bring to simmer, then turn down to low and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the tomato has broken down and created a sauce. Turn off stove when ready if not timed with cooked pasta.

  7. 7

    Cook pasta: Meanwhile, add 2 teaspoons salt into the pot of water. Then add pasta and cook per packet directions.

  8. 8

    Reserve pasta water (Note 5): Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of pasta cooking water and set aside. Then drain pasta in a colander.

  9. 9

    Toss pasta: Immediately add pasta into sauce. Add 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water reserved from previous step (Note 5) then use 2 wooden spoons to toss the pasta, still on a low stove, for 1 minute or until the sauce is no longer in the skillet but rather clinging to the pasta strands (but still slick and slippery). If the pasta gets too dry, add more pasta cooking water and toss.

  10. 10

    Serve: Immediately transfer into warmed bowls. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with basil. Serve immediately!

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

5.0(45)

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About this Recipe

Craving a lightning-fast, intensely flavorful Italian meal that relies on ingredients you likely already have stocked in your pantry? This authentic Spaghetti alla Puttanesca recipe is your ultimate answer, transforming humble staples into a remarkably satisfying dinner with minimal fuss.

This classic Neapolitan pasta dish, renowned as an 'emergency meal,' truly shines through its powerful, savory flavors sourced from black olives, briny capers, and the crucial addition of anchovy fillets. The magic happens as the finely minced anchovies gently sauté and dissolve into the sauce, lending an incredible depth and umami richness without any lingering fishy taste – a flavor you simply can't achieve with just salt.

Prepare your palate for a vibrant and robust pasta experience. Each forkful delivers a delightful interplay of salty, pungent olives, tangy capers, and a subtle, enticing warmth from chili flakes, all enveloping perfectly al dente spaghetti. The crushed tomato base develops into a savory, complex sauce, brightened by fresh oregano and fragrant basil, offering a taste that's bold, satisfying, and deeply comforting.

While the anchovies are non-negotiable for the authentic depth of flavor, if you absolutely must, a tiny splash of soy sauce can provide some umami, though the complexity won't be quite the same. Feel free to use any long pasta you prefer, such as linguine or fettuccine, beyond spaghetti. Don't have fresh oregano? A quarter teaspoon of dried oregano works perfectly as a substitute for fresh. And remember, a pinch of sugar can balance the acidity of your tomatoes if needed.

This inherently flavorful pasta is perfectly suited for a busy weeknight dinner when you're short on time but refuse to compromise on taste. Serve it simply, perhaps with an extra drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and a final flourish of fresh basil leaves for an inviting presentation.

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