Puttanesca

Puttanesca sauce has a robust flavor.

It’s a bold and savory Italian sauce made with tomatoes, anchovies, capers, garlic, and olives, perfect for enhancing pasta dishes.

The capers, olives, and anchovies make this sauce irresistibly delicious.
This sauce packs a punch of umami flavor.
Pasta Puttanesca smells and tastes like it’s been simmering for hours but takes less than 30 minutes on the stove.

whole tomatoes , crushed tomatoes , oil , capers , anchovy , garlic , olives , parmesan , red pepper glakes , salt and pepper with labels to make Puttanesca

Ingredients for Puttanesca Sauce

Tomatoes: Choose quality tomatoes like San Marzanos for the best flavor. Squeeze the whole tomatoes in Step 2 to get a rustic texture of smaller and larger pieces.

Capers: Rinse capers before using them to remove unnecessary salt.

Anchovies: Anchovies add the signature briny flavor to a classic puttanesca recipe. Anchovies are preferred, but you can replace them with a bit of miso paste, fish sauce, or even seaweed flakes if needed.

Olives: I prefer black olives but kalamata olives or Castelvetrano are salty, sweet, and meaty.

Pasta: Puttanesca pairs well with almost any kind of pasta. I love spaghetti, bucatini, or penne—thicker kinds of pasta that pasta sauce can cling to.

Variations

I like to toss in a few red pepper flakes for a subtle spicy kick to the sauce.
In addition to garlic and red pepper flakes, a little dried oregano, fresh parsley, or fresh basil will add a bright and herb-y flavor to the pasta puttanesca recipe.

adding tomatoes and oil to pan with capers to make Puttanesca

How to Make Puttanesca Sauce

Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil. Add capers and anchovies and cook.
Squeeze whole tomatoes into the pan (discard the juices).
Add crushed tomatoes and olives and simmer (recipe below).
Season with salt and pepper and serve as desired.

Storing Puttanesca

Keep leftover puttanesca sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze portions in zippered bags for up to one month.

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Puttanesca is a savory Italian sauce made with tomatoes, anchovies, capers, garlic, and olives, perfect for pairing with pasta.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is tender. Add the capers and anchovy and cook for 2 minutes more.
Remove the whole tomatoes from the can one by one and squeeze the tomatoes into the pan to break them up, discard the juices (or reserve to add to soup). Add the crushed tomatoes and olives. Simmer uncovered for about 6 to 8 minutes or until thickened.
Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
Toss with cooked pasta and garnish with parmesan cheese if desired.

This sauce will dress 1 lb of spaghetti or pasta.
Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Nutritional information is for sauce only.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Sauce

Cuisine American, Italian

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