Go Back
–+ servings
Pasta Puttanesca Recipe 780 | Umami Girl-3
Print Recipe
4.86 from 7 votes

Pasta alla Puttanesca

This pasta alla puttanesca recipe is chock full of umami-rich ingredients. It comes together quickly from ingredients you may already have in your pantry, is affordable, and manages to be both comforting and exciting in equal measure.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Pasta + Noodles
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pasta alla puttanesca, pasta puttanesca, spaghetti alla puttanesca
Servings: 6
Calories: 360kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

  • 2- ounce tin anchovy fillets in olive oil
  • 10 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 big pinch red pepper flakes
  • 28- ounce can chopped tomatoes with their juices
  • ½ cup pitted Kalamata or oil-cured black olives chopped
  • ¼ cup capers
  • 1 2- inch piece of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese rind
  • A few good grinds black pepper
  • 1 pound dry pasta we like spaghetti or rigatoni
  • Grated parmesan or pecorino for serving

Instructions

  • Set a medium pot over medium-low heat. Pour in the entire tin of anchovies, olive oil and all. Add the chopped garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring and mashing the anchovies against the bottom of the pan to break them up, until the anchovies have all but melted away.
  • Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for one minute.
  • Add the canned tomatoes, olives, capers, cheese rind and black pepper. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until thickened slightly.
  • Meanwhile, bring a large pot of very well salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. 
  • Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water.
  • Pour drained pasta and reserved ½ cup of cooking water into sauce pot and toss to coat.
  • Spoon into bowls and serve with grated cheese to pass at the table.

Notes

  1. I sometimes use this recipe as an excuse to clean out the pantry a little bit and add even more savory ingredients, like ¼ cup of Trader Joe's awesome sun dried tomatoes in a bag (chopped up a little extra) and a drained 4-ounce can of chopped roasted red peppers (or pimientos or piquillos or what have you).
  2. If you don't have a parmesan rind, you can stir in a few tablespoons of grated parmesan or pecorino during cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 68.4g | Protein: 14.3g | Fat: 3.7g | Fiber: 4.6g