Spaghetti alla Puttanesca Recipe

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca Recipe - an easy dish that uses simple pantry ingredients to create the most incredible meal! This classic version of Spaghetti Puttanesca is quick and budget-friendly. It's a delicious meal that will have everyone begging for seconds!

If you love a great pasta dish, be sure to try this chicken spaghetti recipe or Million Dollar Chicken Casserole, YUM!

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this easy recipe   
• Ingredients
• Instructions 
• Equipment
• FAQ's
• Test kitchen tips
• Variations
• Storage
• Related recipes
• Serve with
• Spaghetti alla Puttanesca Recipe
• Recipe backstory

Why you'll love this easy recipe   

It's a simple meal that packs so much flavor and comes together in just minutes on the stove top!

✔️ This is an easy, inexpensive and effortless!

✔️ The sauce is complete in the time it takes to boil the pasta!

✔️ Fancy enough for company, this is a fabulous meal!

Ingredients

You'll need a handful of pantry staples to make this classic dish. For the exact measurements, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

• spaghetti noodles or any long skinny noodle is the traditional pasta.
• Crushed tomatoes - no crushed tomatoes on hand? Use whole tomatoes and crush them by hand. Or you can also use fresh tomatoes like Roma or cherry tomatoes.
• olive oil - peppery and pungent it's perfect for everyday cooking needs!
• sun dried tomatoes - intensely tart and sweet at the same time, sun-dried tomato pack a punch of tomato-y flavor!
• capers and anchovy filets - super salty and don't be afraid of anchovies, they lend a salty flavor that can't be matched. Substitute with anchovy paste if you prefer.
• garlic cloves and fresh parsley - you guessed it, more flavor!
• parmesan cheese - fruity and nutty parmesan is wonderful in pasta and soups.

Instructions 

This is an overview of the instructions. For the complete directions just scroll down to the bottom!

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boiling.
2. Add olive oil to a large frying pan over low heat.
3. Thinly slice the garlic, rinse the anchovy fillets, pat dry. Dice the fillets and capers. Add to the olive oil and sauté, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the sun-dried and crushed tomatoes and continue to sauté.
5. Put a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Season well, when boing drop the pasta so it is cooking while the sauce is finishing - cook the pasta until just al dente.
6. Remove from the boiling water and place it directly in the pasta sauce. Toss well. 
7. Add ¼ to ½ cup of pasta water if needed. Continue to toss the pasta and allow it to finish cooking in the sauce.

Equipment

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When you're tossing the pasta with the sauce, toss it really well - these are the tongs I use. They are not fancy or expensive, but they work great!

FAQ's

Test kitchen tips

• A pinch of red pepper flakes will liven up the sauce. If you enjoy spicy, don't be afraid to add about ⅛ of a teaspoon.
• This meal is perfect with a garden salad Garden Salad and Dinner Rolls. Simple and easy is best!
• Top the pasta with freshly grated cheese - parmesan or Romano is perfect!
• I don't believe the pasta needs any salt or black pepper, but you can adjust to taste.
• No reason you can't take that large saucepan from the stove to the table and serve right from the frypan.

Variations

I love this recipe, it's delicious! Filling and cheap, it's easy to make and it can be assemble in minutes. But if you don't have everything you need, here are some substitutes for the ingredients.

• Crushed tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes - use whole tomatoes and crush them by hand. If you don't have sun-dried tomatoes, a tablespoon of tomato paste will give an intense tomato flavor.
• Anchovies dissolve into the sauce. If you don't have any available, Worcestershire or soy sauce would be the next best thing.
• Salty kalamata olives or black olives would be a great substitute for capers.
• A good pinch of red chili flakes or chili pepper will add a nice amount of heat.

Storage

Refrigerate - allow the pasta alla puttanesca to cool to room temperature. Place it in an airtight container refrigerate.

Freezer - freeze for up to three months. To reheat the sauce, simply remove it from the freezer and thaw it in the refrigerator.

Reheat - Reheat it on the stovetop.

Related recipes

• 30 Minute Pasta Primavera Bowl - another pasta meal - quick and easy to make, this comes together in a snap!
• Antipasto Pasta Salad - though this is "technically" a salad, it's filled with enough great ingredients to really be a meal in a bowl.
• Million Dollar Spaghetti will feed a crowd and everyone will come back for seconds!

Serve with

• Garden Salad Recipe with Creamy Vinaigrette - you don't need a fancy salad dressing. You can use store-bought or easily make it yourself.
• 3 Ingredient Steamed Green Beans or Roasted Broccoli with Lemon - both of these side dishes would be a great choice with this meal.
• Easy Dinner Rolls Recipe - shhh.... don't tell but these are frozen rolls. Trust me, you got this!

There's a whole list of What to serve with Spaghetti here - tons of great ideas!

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If you love this recipe please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating! 

Recipe backstory

When I lived in Washington DC, going to the Baltimore Aquarium was a must see! Something I definitely wanted to cross off my list. There was so much to see and it was amazing and fun, but what I remembered most was dinner that night.

Somehow I took a wrong turn and ended up in Little Italy. (Keep in mind this was before the days of Yelp and vehicles with built-in maps!)

Come to think about it was way before the time of cell phones, too! Man am I dating myself! 🤣

Anyway, I ended up at a charming little restaurant in a quaint neighborhood that served the MOST AMAZING Italian food.

I imagined the guys in the booth next to me were wise-guys. Was the Godfather was in the back room? Maybe so.

They had such an amazing menu. Lemon Garlic Pasta, which was light and flavorful. Meaty ragu and their lasagna was certainly to die for. It went on and on.

I chose Pasta Puttanesca and it was fabulous! This was a meal I've never forgotten and I think you're going to love it too!