Pasta With Puttanesca Sauce (Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca)
Jul 14, 2018, Updated Feb 09, 2021
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You can’t go wrong with a quick, simple and inexpensive weeknight meal and puttanesca sauce makes just that. It’s made with a savoury mix of olives, capers and anchovies then is tossed with spaghetti and sprinkled with fresh parsley. Nothing beats a classic Italian meal ready in minutes!
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Pin ItSpaghetti with puttanesca sauce has always been a safe go-to recipe for me when I’m short on time, hungry and ain’t got a lot of cash in my pocket. That’s exactly why I love this pasta sauce, all the ingredients are store cupboard ingredients and things I almost always have on hand.
P.S I can’t help but giggle writing this post, scroll down for the story (red face).
So Why Is It Called Puttanesca Sauce?
The word puttana means bitch or whore in Italian (sorry we are still talking about food here, promise!) so literally the name of this pasta, spaghetti alla puttanesca means whore’s spaghetti or spaghetti in the style of the whore.
Ahh ok, so why does this delicious pasta dish have such a strange name?
My favourite story of where the spaghetti alla puttanesca recipe came from is that it was invented in the 1950s by a popular restaurant owner. The restaurant was near to closing with some hungry people still left waiting and not a lot of food left in the kitchen.
The customers were tried and hungry and apparently insisted “Facci una puttanata qualsiasi” or “make any kind of garbage” so with only some tomatoes, olives and capers Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca was created and stayed on the menu from that day.
I’ve also heard that prostitutes would make it for their hungry customers because it was cheap and easy (bahahahaha) I’m going with the first story ok folks, you can decide for yourself!
How To Make Spaghetti with Puttanesca Sauce
First add anchovies, garlic and a little olive oil to a large pan on a medium heat until the anchovies start to dissolve (photo 1).
Then add the canned peeled plum tomatoes, capers, chili flakes and olives and stir. As the puttanesca sauce is simmering cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions until al dente (no one likes mushy pasta, blaa) (photo 2-3).
Once the spaghetti is cooked, lift the spaghetti from the water to the sauce with a spaghetti spoon (this helps emulsify the sauce) and toss, stir add some chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
This is one delicious, easy and quick weeknight meal that everyone will enjoy.
Tips and Variations – How To Adapt Puttanesca Sauce
- Traditionally black olives are used but green would work fine
- Don’t like anchovies? Trust me you can’t taste them. The anchovies are used as a seasoning hence why I don’t add salt and they aren’t fishy in the slightest. I’d urge you still to use them but if you really can’t stand it you’ll need a good pinch of salt.
- Use the best quality canned tomatoes possible (I like Cirio). It’s really worth the extra few pennies and makes a huge difference to the end result.
- You can use fresh cherry tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes. I’d use 1lb (450g) cut in half and stew them down with the garlic and anchovies then add the rest of the ingredients. You might need to add a splash of water.
- I like to keep the garlic whole and then remove it add the end for more subtle garlic flavour. If you want a extra garlic punch, finely chop it or crush it into the sauce.
- The spice again is a subtle kick (nothing is meant to overpower here) but if you’re looking for something spicier feel free to add more dried or fresh.
- Try adding tuna, it’s a popular variation and really delicious.
More Simple Pasta Dishes To Try;
- Penne with ricotta,pancetta and tomato sauce,
- Creamy Tomato Pasta with Italian Sausage
- Creamy butternut squash pasta,
- Orecchiette with radicchio, peas and smoked pancetta
- Shrimp Linguine with Burst Tomatoes & Parsley
If you’ve tried this Spaghetti with Puttanesca Sauce or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
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Spaghetti Alla Putanesca Recipe
Ingredients
- 13.4 oz (380g) spaghetti
- 14 oz (400g) canned plum tomatoes, , high quality (I like Cirio)
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 small handful (1.2 oz/90g) black olives
- 6 salted anchovy fillets
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 2 smal or 1 large garlic clove, , peeled and crushed with the back of a knife
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small bunch parsley, , chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add one tbsp of olive oil to a large pan with the anchovy fillets and whole garlic clove. Fry for 30-60 seconds until the anchovies start to melt.
- Add the tomatoes, capers, chilli flakes and olives to the pan and stir together. Add the spaghetti to the pot of water and cook according to packet instructions until al dente (around 8-10 minutes).
- Stir the tomato mixture occasionally as it starts to thicken ( if the tomatoes reduce too much add a little splash of pasta water and stir.
- Once the spaghetti is cooked, lift the spaghetti from the water to the sauce with a spaghetti spoon (this helps emulsify the sauce) and toss, stir add some chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
Tips and Variations – How To Adapt Puttanesca Sauce
- Traditionally black olives are used but green would work fine
- Don’t like anchovies? Trust me you can’t taste them. The anchovies are used as a seasoning hence why I don’t add salt and they aren’t fishy in the slightest. I’d urge you still to use them but if you really can’t stand it you’ll need a good pinch of salt.
- Use the best quality canned tomatoes possible (I like Cirio). It’s really worth the extra few pennies and makes a huge difference to the end result.
- You can use fresh cherry tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes. I’d use 1lb (450g) cut in half and stew them down with the garlic and anchovies then add the rest of the ingredients. You might need to add a splash of water.
- I like to keep the garlic whole and then remove it add the end for more subtle garlic flavour. If you want a extra garlic punch, finely chop it or crush it into the sauce.
- The spice again is a subtle kick (nothing is meant to overpower here) but if you’re looking for something spicier feel free to add more dried or fresh.
- Try adding tuna, it’s a popular variation and really delicious.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I make this ahead of time for my kids?
Yes, you can make the sauce in advance and then cook the pasta when ready to serve.
This is a really good pasta recipe! So light and easy, great to make after a long day at work. I halved the recipe for 2 portions and it worked out well. Unfortunately, I do not like olives so I omitted them but it still tasted great.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
OMG! Those olives are calling my name! This dish looks fantastic! And I’m still laughing about the origin of puttanesca! I never knew that so thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hahaha I know…you can’t help but giggle making this. Thanks Sherri!
This is one of my favourite pasta recipes! The anchovies add an umami layer to the flavours -Yummy!
They make such a difference don’t they? Thanks Nicole!
Perfect for a weeknight – thanks for the recipe, and for the info on the history of the sauce!
No problem Kelli, thank you!
Such a classic! It really looks so tempting.
I love a good puttanesca sauce. So simple, but so fresh and delicious. Great recipe!
Thank you Danielle, it’s always a winner!
Yum, love a good pasta recipe.