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Pasta Puttanesca Recipe

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★★★★★

4.8 from 108 reviews

Pasta Puttanesca is a vibrant and flavorful Italian dish known for its bold combination of olives, capers, garlic, and tomatoes. This classic recipe features spaghetti tossed in a zesty sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes, black olives, capers, and red pepper flakes, finished with fresh parsley and extra virgin olive oil. It’s a quick and easy meal that balances savory, salty, and spicy notes perfectly.

Ingredients

Scale

Pasta

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 1 gallon water (for boiling pasta)
  • 2 tablespoons salt (for pasta water)

Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
  • ¾ cup black olives, pitted and halved (Gaeta, Kalamata, or other)
  • 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
  • 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes (1 large can, preferably San Marzano)
  • 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Garnish

  • Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • Fresh parsley, for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the halved black olives, rinsed capers, red pepper flakes, and grated garlic. Cook gently for 1 to 2 minutes, ensuring the garlic does not burn to release the flavors without bitterness.
  2. Simmer the sauce: Pour in the whole peeled tomatoes. Stir and crush the tomatoes using a fork to create a chunky sauce. Let the puttanesca sauce simmer over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes to deepen the flavors.
  3. Adjust seasoning: Taste the sauce and add salt and black pepper as needed. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta.
  4. Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until very al dente, about 3 minutes less than the package instructions. Reserve 2 cups of pasta cooking water before draining the pasta.
  5. Toss pasta in sauce: Add the drained pasta to the sauce along with 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley. Increase the heat to medium-high and toss the pasta for about 2 minutes until creamy and perfectly al dente.
  6. Serve: Plate the pasta and finish with a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh parsley for fresh color and aroma.

Notes

  • Use San Marzano tomatoes for the most authentic and rich sauce flavor.
  • Adjust red pepper flakes to control the level of spiciness based on your preference.
  • Reserving pasta water is essential to help the sauce cling to the pasta and achieve a creamy texture.
  • Make sure not to overcook the garlic as burnt garlic imparts bitterness to the sauce.
  • This dish pairs beautifully with a crisp green salad and crusty bread.

Keywords: Pasta Puttanesca, spaghetti recipe, Italian pasta, puttanesca sauce, olives, capers, easy Italian dinner, quick pasta recipe

Find it online: https://www.sanacooks.com/pasta-puttanesca-recipe/