Unfussy Pasta Puttanesca on the Stove

Love a good pasta dish? You need to try our Pesto Pasta Salad as well as our Straightforward Baked Pasta recipe and our Simple Alfredo Pasta!

Why you’ll love this spaghetti alla puttanesca

I’m no stranger to an Italian familiar like this Puttanseca! Growing up with an Italian father who LOVED to cook, he did a great job of introducing us to the staple recipes of Italy. This puttanesca is a simple sauce but it’s also a SATISFYING sauce that I certainly love. It’s one of those recipes that feels elevated but in reality is a simple and approachable busy-night meal!

Why You’ll Love This

• Pantry-friendly – mostly canned tomatoes, olives, and capers you probably already have
• Ready in 30 minutes, so it’s an unfussy win on a busy after-work!
• Naturally vegetarian, with straightforward notes for adding anchovies or extra protein if you want
• Big, bold flavor from a short ingredient list – no fuss required

Ingredients needed

The simple ingredients for this pasta alla puttanesca recipe are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!

• Spaghetti or linguine – either shape works great, use whatever long pasta you have on hand. Genuinely any pasta works, at the end of the day, so use your go-to pasta.
• Shallot – adds a little sweetness to balance the salty olives and capers
• Garlic – five garlic cloves sounds like a lot, but it mellows out as it cooks
• Kalamata olives – bring the signature briny punch – swap in Castelvetrano olives or black olives if you want something milder and more buttery
• Capers – don’t skip the briny capers, they’re what makes puttanesca taste like puttanesca
• Red pepper flakes – brings the heat, add more or less depending on your spice tolerance
• Dried oregano – rounds out the flavor with a little earthiness
• Tomato paste – deepens the tomato flavor and helps thicken the sauce
• Whole peeled tomatoes – crushing them yourself gives a chunkier, more rustic sauce
• Fresh Parsley or fresh basil – stir some in, save some for serving for a pop of freshness
• Extra virgin olive oil – use a good quality of olive oil!
• Optional – if you’re not vegetarian, you can add anchovy fillets or anchovy paste for a greater depth of flavor

How to Make It

Only a reminder that you can find the complete recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you:)

1. Cook down the aromatics. Garlic, shallot, olives, and capers get sautéed together in a large skillet over medium-high heat until everything turns golden and fragrant.

1. Build the tomato-based sauce. Crushed tomatoes go in and simmer down with the olives and capers until thick, rich, and deeply red.

1. Boil the pasta. While the puttanesca sauce simmers, cook your spaghetti in a large pot of salted water until al dente, then drain well. As desired, reserve some of the pasta cooking water to think the sauce (I rarely end up doing this).

1. Toss it all together. The cooked pasta goes straight into the skillet with the sauce, tossing until every strand is coated and glossy. Garnish with fresh herbs and parmesan cheese.
   Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Recipe Tips

• Watch the garlic closely – it goes from golden to burnt fast, and burnt garlic will make the whole sauce taste bitter
• Save that pasta water – it’s salty and starchy and helps the sauce cling to the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl
• Add anchovies if you eat fish – 2-3 minced fillets with the garlic melt right in and add serious depth
• Boost the protein – stir in a drained can of white beans or chickpeas with the tomatoes

Frequently Asked Questions