This pasta puttanesca recipe stars a flavorful tomato sauce packed with garlic, olives, and capers. Perfect for weeknights, it's ready in 30 minutes!
Pasta puttanesca is a perfect example of what I love about Italian cooking. This Southern Italian dish features a garlicky tomato sauce spiked with briny olives, capers, and anchovies. It requires simple ingredients and minimal prep, but it still delivers rich, bold flavor.
I shared a puttanesca recipe with zucchini noodles in Love & Lemons Every Day, but since this classic pasta is one of my weeknight favorites, I thought it was about time I shared a more traditional recipe too. It calls for 10 ingredients, cooks in under 30 minutes, and is absolutely delicious. I hope you love it as much as I do!
What does puttanesca mean?
The Italian word puttanesca translates to “in the style of a prostitute.” I only learned this recently, and after enjoying pasta puttanesca for years, I was intrigued—how did this dish get its name?
Well, it seems to be up for debate. One theory goes that its pungent aroma was designed to draw customers into brothels of the Spanish Quarters of Naples. Another suggests that a chef from Ischia made the first pasta puttanesca when a hungry crowd of customers arrived at his restaurant late at night and he had to improvise a meal using pantry staples. Whether or not either story is true, it seems likely that pasta puttanesca originated in Italy’s Campania region in the mid-20th century.
Pasta Puttanesca Ingredients
Puttanesca sauce stars three famous ingredients: capers, olives, and anchovies. They create its distinctive tangy, briny taste.
My recipe is vegetarian, so I skip the anchovies, but the capers and olives still pack in plenty of flavor.
Here’s what else you’ll need to make it:
- Whole peeled tomatoes – Canned tomatoes make up the base of this pantry-friendly sauce. Choose San Marzano tomatoes for the sweetest flavor.
- Shallot and garlic – They add sharp, savory depth of flavor.
- Red pepper flakes – For heat.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness.
- Chopped fresh parsley – It offers a nice fresh contrast to the briny pasta sauce. Fresh basil or oregano is lovely here too.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
A quick note on pasta: Spaghetti is most traditional here, but you could really use any type of pasta. I typically reach for a long shape—maybe bucatini or linguine if I’m not using spaghetti.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Pasta Puttanesca
You can find the complete pasta puttanesca recipe with measurements below, but for now, here’s a quick overview of how it goes:
Start by prepping the tomatoes. Drain the juices (they’d make the sauce too watery), then transfer the tomatoes to a large bowl. Use your hands to crush them into a thick, chunky sauce. Set aside.
Next, cook the aromatics. Sauté the shallots until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes, then add the capers, olives, garlic, and red pepper flakes and sizzle for 2 minutes to infuse the olive oil with flavor.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and simmer to develop the flavors in the sauce, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Follow the instructions on the package, cooking until the pasta is al dente. Before draining it, reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water.
Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce, along with 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to coat, adding more pasta water as needed.
Finally, add the parsley and toss to combine. Season to taste and serve with more parsley for garnish.
What to Serve with Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
I love to serve this recipe with a salad on the side. It pairs perfectly with anything green and leafy, like this green salad or this Caesar salad. It would be nice with some simple sautéed broccolini too!
You might also want to serve it with crusty bread for sopping up the flavorful sauce. Level up the meal by making homemade garlic bread, garlic knots, or focaccia.
How to Store
Leftover pasta puttanesca keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More Pasta Recipes to Try
If you love this pasta puttanesca recipe, try one of these delicious pastas next:
Pasta Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, drained
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped (⅓ cup)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons capers
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
- 12 ounces spaghetti pasta
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and use your hands to crush them. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, capers, and olives and sizzle, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and cook for 8 to 10 minutes to develop the flavors.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the spaghetti according to the package instructions, cooking until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Add the pasta and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet with the tomato mixture. Cook, tossing, for 1 to 2 minutes over low heat, adding more pasta water as needed to coat the pasta in a light sauce.
- Add the parsley and toss to incorporate. Season to taste and serve topped with more parsley, if desired.
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Love It Yarr
I have made this twice. First one I used the recommended amount of red pepper flakes and it was so good. The second time I doubled it and it was hot but still amazing! This is going into my favorite recipe for get togethers group. It is so easy but at the end was a very classy dish.
I’m so glad you love the recipe, Laurie!
Loved this!!! We placed it over steamed broccoli and it was amazing! This is going to be on the weekly rotation!
A truly stellar and super easy dish. Somehow had all the ingredients on hand. I wound up using some anchovy paste at the shallot stage and added some chopped preserved lemon with the olives for a different kind of umami and depth. Recommended if you have it.