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.

Recipe Ingredients

1 Tbsp anchovy paste or 4 fillets oil-packed

3 Tbsp capers, rinsed

1/2 cup pitted black Kalamata olives, hand crushed 

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

3 Large cloves of garlic

8 Ounces thick, long-stranded pasta

One 28-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand

Olive oil

Pepper

Parsley

8 ounces pasta of your choice 

Recipe Procedure

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Gently fry the anchovies, garlic, olives, and capers until the anchovy filets have dissolved. Leave it in the pan.

In a bowl, pour in the tomatoes and crush them. Add in the parsley, pepper, and hot pepper flakes. Stir to combine and pour into the fry pan.  

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, boil salted water in a large pot. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. 

Then drain the pasta, combine it with the sauce, and serve in bowls.  

Buon Appetito!