Description
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a classic Italian pasta dish originating from Naples, featuring a vibrant sauce made of anchovies, olives, capers, garlic, and tomatoes. It’s a flavorful, quick-to-make meal that relies on pantry staples and offers a perfect balance of salty, spicy, and savory notes. Ideal for a delicious emergency meal or a comforting dinner, this recipe showcases the art of simple yet bold Italian cooking.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 200g / 7oz spaghetti (or other long pasta)
Sauce
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely minced, with knife not garlic press)
- 3 anchovy fillets (finely minced)
- 1/4 cup pitted black olives (preferably in oil, quartered)
- 1 tbsp capers (drained)
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes (red pepper flakes)
- 400g / 14oz canned crushed tomatoes (or hand-crushed whole canned tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp fresh oregano (roughly chopped, or substitute 1/4 tsp dried oregano)
- 1/8 tsp kosher or cooking salt (or 2 pinches table salt)
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp sugar (optional, if needed depending on tomato quality)
- 2 tbsp fresh basil (roughly chopped)
Instructions
- Prepare: Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Warm serving bowls in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Cook garlic: Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the finely minced garlic and cook for about 15 seconds until it turns golden and aromatic.
- Cook anchovies and aromatics: Add the minced anchovy fillets, capers, quartered black olives, and chili flakes to the skillet. Cook together for 1 minute to blend the flavors.
- Add tomato and water: Pour in the canned crushed tomatoes. Then add 1/2 cup of water into the empty tomato can, swirl to rinse, and pour this into the skillet as well.
- Simmer sauce: Stir in the fresh oregano, salt, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens and the tomato has broken down. Turn off the stove if not timing with pasta completion.
- Cook pasta: Meanwhile, add 2 teaspoons salt to the boiling water. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente.
- Reserve pasta water: Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of pasta cooking water and set aside. Then drain the pasta in a colander.
- Toss pasta with sauce: Immediately add the drained pasta into the skillet with the sauce. Pour in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Using two wooden spoons, toss the pasta and sauce together over low heat for 1 minute until the sauce clings nicely to the pasta and becomes silky. Add more pasta water if needed to keep the pasta moist and glossy.
- Serve: Transfer the pasta into the warmed serving bowls. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with fresh chopped basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a traditional Neapolitan dish, great as a quick meal from pantry essentials.
- The olives, capers, and anchovies provide ample saltiness; avoid adding extra salt beyond what’s mentioned.
- Do not skip anchovies as they dissolve during cooking, adding a unique savory depth without a fishy taste.
- If tomato sauce tastes too acidic, add sugar to balance the flavor, though this depends on the tomato quality.
- Use the reserved pasta water to loosen and bind the sauce to pasta for a perfectly glossy finish.
- Fresh basil adds a bright herbal note just before serving; do not cook the basil.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 596 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 812 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 91 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 4 mg
