Spaghetti Puttanesca Recipe

Close up of spaghetti puttanesca showing strands of pasta coated in tomato sauce with olives and capers.

RATE THIS RECIPE

Ratings

Print Pin

Spaghetti Puttanesca Recipe

Spaghetti alla puttanesca is one of the easiest pantry pasta recipes out there, and it also happens to be one of my favorites. After years of professional cooking, I've perfected this recipe and can't wait to share all of my tips to help you make it perfectly, too! I’ll guide you through the techniques that make a difference so you can create a restaurant-worthy pasta at home in under 30 minutes, with very little effort.

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings: 2

Calories: 608kcal

Author: Nicole Gaffney

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5-6 anchovy fillets plus 1 teaspoon of their oil
6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
½ teaspoon red chili flakes or 1 teaspoon calabrian chili paste, to taste
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand
Kosher salt to taste
⅓ cup Gaeta olives pitted, or kalamata olives, roughly torn or chopped
2 tablespoons capers drained
½ lb dried spaghetti or linguine
pasta water as needed
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley finely chopped
Pecorino Romano finely grated, for serving

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil.
Heat the olive oil in a large wide skillet over medium heat.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Add the anchovies and their oil, garlic, and chili flakes, then cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring, until the garlic is softened and the anchovies dissolve into the oil. Do not let the garlic take on any color.
5-6 anchovy fillets, 6 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
Pour in the tomatoes, then rinse the can with a splash of water and add that too. Bring up to a simmer, then cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
Stir the olives and capers into the sauce, then taste and add salt as needed. The anchovies, olives, and capers add plenty of salt, so it may not need much, if any.
⅓ cup Gaeta olives, 2 tablespoons capers, Kosher salt
While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta until just shy of al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
½ lb dried spaghetti
Add the drained pasta directly to the sauce, then toss until the noodles are coated and the sauce clings nicely, about 1-2 minutes. Add a splash of pasta water as needed to loosen.
pasta water
Finish with parsley and toss once more. Serve immediately with plenty of grated Pecorino Romano on top.
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, Pecorino Romano

Notes

To get concentrated pasta water, use a 12-inch skillet or a sauté pan with enough salted boiling water to cover the pasta instead. A low-water method increases the concentration of starch, which will help the sauce thicken and cling to the noodles even better.
This sauce can and should be adjusted to your taste. Add more or less garlic, anchovies, chilies, olives, or capers as you like.
You can leave the tomatoes whole and break them up in the pan with a wooden spoon if you want a chunkier sauce. You can also substitute crushed tomatoes in a pinch.
If your tomatoes are lacking in sweetness, a tiny pinch of sugar will bring the balance needed for this dish.
Go easy on the salt at first since the anchovies, capers and olives are very salty. Always taste the sauce and adjust before serving. Same goes for salting the pasta water - adding a lot is an easy way to make this dish overly salty.

Nutrition