Spaghetti Puttanesca Recipe - The Red Light is On

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a quick, simple, and rustic pasta and tomato dish with a history as rich as its delicious sauce.

In Italian, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca directly translates to whores spaghetti. As the story goes (well, at least one of them), this was a staple meal prepared and consumed by Neapolitan prostitutes between clients. It makes sense to me, but let's get to the recipe.

I concocted this recipe from a variety of online sources, which, like most recipes, can differ greatly. Some didn't look too appetizing, and others did. Some used Italian sausage, and others didn't. Some used cherry tomatoes, and you guessed it. Some used canned tomatoes, and the same as with olives. So, here is my version.

Recipe Ingredients

8 Ounces bulk Italian Sausage with fennel 

1 Tbsp anchovie paste or 4 fillets oil-packed

1 28 Ounce can of whole tomatoes crushed by hand in a bowl

2 Bay leaves

2 Tbsp capers

¼ cup pitted black olives, oil-cured if you can find them

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ Cup olive oil

3 Large cloves garlic

8 Ounces thick, long-stranded pasta

Recipe Procedure

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Gently fry the garlic until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan when finished, and don't forget to snack on it.

Then, fry the sausage, breaking it into small pieces. When done, add the capers, pepper flakes, anchovy, and olives and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes. Turn up the heat and stir to combine. When slowly bubbling, reduce the temperature to low and gently simmer until the sauce thickens about 20 minutes. Add salt/pepper if necessary.

After 10 minutes, place your pasta into a boiling pot of salted water and cook until al dente.

Once finished, drain the pasta and combine it with the sauce. Note: The Kalamata olives are quite pungent, and eating them with the pasta will overpower the subtle flavors of the sauce. They contributed to the sauce, so at this point, I recommend that you remove them from the sauce before combining or simply push them to the side of your serving bowl or plate.

Buon Appetito!