Spaghetti Puttanesca
A classic Italian dish featuring spaghetti tossed in a rich tomato sauce with olives, capers, and anchovies, ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Pasta Ingredients
- 200 g 200g / 7oz spaghetti or other long pasta
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
Flavor Base Ingredients
- 2 cloves 2 garlic cloves (finely minced)
- 3 fillets 3 anchovy fillets (finely minced)
- 1/4 cup 1/4 cup pitted black olives (preferably in oil, quartered)
- 1 tbsp 1 tbsp capers (drained)
- 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp chili flakes (red pepper flakes)
Sauce Ingredients
- 400 g 400g / 14oz can crushed tomatoes or hand crush whole canned tomatoes
- 1/2 cup 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp 1 tsp fresh oregano (roughly chopped) sub 1/4 tsp dried
- 1/8 tsp 1/8 tsp kosher / cooking salt or 2 pinches table salt
- 1/8 tsp 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp sugar if needed; depends on tomato quality
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp fresh basil (roughly chopped)
Instructions
Preparation
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Warm serving bowls in the microwave for about 1 minute.
Cooking the Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and cook for about 15 seconds until it starts turning golden.
- Add minced anchovies, capers, olives, and chili flakes to the skillet. Cook for a minute.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, then rinse the empty can with 1/2 cup of water and swirl it in. Add this to the skillet as well.
- Add oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir, bring to a simmer, and lower the heat to cook for 10 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken.
Cooking the Pasta
- While the sauce simmers, add 2 teaspoons of salt to the boiling water, then add the pasta. Cook according to the package directions.
- Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of pasta water and set it aside. Drain the pasta in a colander.
Final Assembly
- Immediately add the drained pasta into the sauce, along with 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss over low heat for about a minute, ensuring the sauce clings to the pasta.
- Transfer the pasta to warmed bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve immediately!
Notes
Serve hot in warmed bowls with extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil. Pair with garlic bread or a green salad. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.