Pasta Puttanesca

If puttanesca isn’t already on your radar and in your dinner rotation, consider this an essential pasta recipe I think you need to know. Nobody can quite agree on the origins of this classic southern Italian pasta dish, but one thing anyone who has ever made this saucy pasta can agree on is that it gives you serious bang for your buck when it comes to flavor. In the time it takes to bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti (or linguine, if that’s the pasta shape your prefer), you’ll create the most intensely flavorful sauce from a combination of anchovies, sliced garlic, briny olives and capers, red pepper flakes, and canned tomatoes.

• It’s a total flavor bomb. Between the super-savory anchovies, briny olives and capers, pungent garlic, fiery red pepper flakes, fresh parsley, and savory-sweet sauce, every single bite of this pasta is bursting with flavor.
• It comes together quickly with pantry ingredients. Here’s the best part: This classic pasta doesn’t require any fancy footwork or ingredients. Instead it comes together in three simple steps, with a relatively short list of easy-to-find pantry ingredients, and just 30 minutes from start to finish.

• Spaghetti or linguine: Either of these long-strand pastas are perfect for puttanesca. 
• Canned whole tomatoes: You’ll use a large can, which creates the bulk of sauce.
• Anchovy fillets: I promise this does not add a fishy taste to the sauce. Use oil-packed anchovies, which get sautéed and eventually broken down, as the rich, super-savory base for the sauce.
• Olives: Start with pitted black olives to save yourself from extra prep work.
• Nonpareil capers: I’ve made this recipe both with whole capers and other times coarsely chopping them first, and much prefer the latter. The sauce has a softer bite and the flavor is a little more evenly distributed in the sauce. That said, if you choose to keep them whole to cut down on prep, the result will still be great.

1. Make the sauce. You’ll start by cooking down the anchovies, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Next, add in the olives, capers, and canned whole tomatoes (which you’ll break apart with your hands). Let the sauce simmer so the flavors can meld.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta. It’s a good idea to start heating a pot of water before you start the sauce. That way you can drop the pasta in while the sauce simmers. Remember to reserve some pasta water before draining, as this will give the sauce a little more body and make sure it really clings to the pasta.
3. Finish pasta in the sauce. Add a few spoonfuls of pasta water and the cooked pasta to the sauce. Cook, tossing continuously until the sauce thickens a bit more and coats the pasta. If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta water a spoonful at a time. Top with chopped parsley.

• We love kalamata olives here, but if you have a can of black olives or some green olives at home, go ahead and use them; they’ll work just fine.
• A 28-ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes can be substituted for whole peeled tomatoes.
• Spaghetti and linguine are traditional choices for puttanesca, but other long pastas such as bucatini, fettuccine, or pappardelle will also work.

• Stored in an airtight container, leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Reheat the pasta with a splash or two of water or broth to reconstitute the sauce.

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