Easy Puttanesca Recipe
This easy puttanesca recipe is a bold, deeply savory Southern Italian pasta sauce made entirely from pantry staples — canned San Marzano tomatoes, briny kalamata olives, salty capers, umami-rich anchovies, and plenty of garlic. It comes together in just 30 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight dinner that tastes far more impressive than the effort involved. The sauce is intensely flavored, naturally dairy-free, and reheats beautifully — a true Italian classic that belongs in every home cook's regular rotation.
Equipment
- Large deep skillet or sauté pan 12-inch recommended
- Large pot for boiling pasta At least 5-quart capacity
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Chef's knife and cutting board
- Colander For draining pasta
- Ladle or measuring cup For reserving pasta cooking water
- Tongs For tossing the pasta in the sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti or linguine 340g; long pasta is traditional, but penne or rigatoni also work well
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Use a good-quality EVOO for best flavor
- 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 4-6 anchovy fillets in oil roughly chopped; oil-packed preferred
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes adjust to taste; reduce to 1/4 tsp for a milder sauce
- 28 oz whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes 800g, 1 can; crushed by hand with their juices
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives 80g; pitted and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and black pepper to taste; season conservatively as anchovies, olives, and capers are already salty
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water approximately; scoop out before draining pasta
For Garnish
- fresh flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped; add generously just before serving
- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling over finished pasta; optional but recommended
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with 4–5 quarts of water, salt it generously until it tastes like lightly seasoned broth, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. The salted water is your only opportunity to season the pasta itself, so don't be shy.
- Thinly slice the garlic, roughly chop the anchovy fillets, drain and rinse the capers, pit and chop the kalamata olives, and crush the canned whole tomatoes by hand into a bowl along with all their juices.
- Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and chopped anchovies simultaneously, stirring frequently for 2–3 minutes until the garlic is lightly golden and the anchovies have completely dissolved into the oil.
- Stir in the crushed red pepper flakes and let them cook in the oil for about 30 seconds to bloom their flavor and distribute the heat evenly throughout the sauce.
- Pour in the crushed San Marzano tomatoes with their juices, then add the kalamata olives, capers, and dried oregano. Stir to combine, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Add the pasta to the boiling salted water and cook until 1–2 minutes shy of al dente per the package directions. Before draining, scoop out about 1/2 cup of starchy pasta cooking water and set it aside, then drain the pasta.
- Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet with the sauce and toss with tongs for 1–2 minutes, adding pasta cooking water a few tablespoons at a time as needed to create a silky, glossy consistency that coats every strand.
- Divide the pasta between bowls, top generously with fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley, and finish with an optional drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Don't skip the anchovies — they dissolve completely into the oil and create deep umami flavor without any fishy taste. Even anchovy-skeptics won't know they're there.
- Use DOP-certified San Marzano tomatoes for the best results. Their sweeter, less acidic flavor makes a noticeably better sauce compared to standard canned tomatoes.
- Always rinse the capers and olives before adding them to the sauce. This removes excess brine and salt and keeps the sauce balanced rather than overpoweringly salty.
- Taste before adding any salt — between the anchovies, olives, and capers, the sauce is usually well-seasoned enough on its own.
- Save your pasta cooking water! The starchy water emulsifies with the olive oil in the sauce and creates a silky coating that clings beautifully to the pasta.
- To make it vegetarian or vegan, omit the anchovies and add 1 tablespoon of white miso paste or a teaspoon of soy sauce to replicate the savory depth.
- For a heartier version, stir in a can of oil-packed tuna at the end of cooking — this is a popular Southern Italian variation.
- Store leftover sauce (separate from pasta) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. The flavors actually deepen overnight.
- Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of water or olive oil to loosen the sauce to the right consistency.
- This recipe works equally well with spaghetti, linguine, rigatoni, penne, or fusilli — use whatever pasta shape you have on hand.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ServingCalories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 13gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 980mgPotassium: 620mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 12IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 15mg
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