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Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
marie

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a bold, pantry-friendly Italian pasta dish packed with savory, briny, and slightly spicy flavors. With tomatoes, olives, capers, and anchovies coming together in a silky sauce, this recipe delivers restaurant-worthy results in under 30 minutes.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta
  • 200 g spaghetti or other long pasta
Puttanesca Sauce
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for finishing
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 3 anchovy fillets finely chopped
  • 60 ml pitted black olives quartered
  • 1 tbsp capers drained well
  • ¼ tsp red chili flakes adjust to taste
  • 400 g crushed tomatoes
  • 120 ml water to rinse tomato can
  • 1 tsp fresh oregano or 1/4 tsp dried
  • ⅛ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • ¼ tsp sugar optional, if tomatoes are acidic
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil roughly chopped, for finishing

Method
 

  1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil for the pasta.
  2. Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
  3. Add anchovies, olives, capers, and chili flakes. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring, until anchovies dissolve.
  4. Stir in crushed tomatoes, water, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
  5. Cook spaghetti until al dente. Reserve some pasta water, then drain.
  6. Add pasta to the sauce with about 1/4 cup reserved pasta water. Toss over low heat until glossy and coated.
  7. Finish with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Notes

Anchovies melt into the sauce and provide deep umami without a fishy taste. Adjust chili flakes to control heat, and always finish cooking the pasta in the sauce for the best texture.