Spaghetti Alla Pasta Puttanesca Recipe Made In 20 Minutes

Experience the zesty allure of Spaghetti alla pasta Puttanesca, featuring a lively sauce of tomatoes, garlic, olives, capers, and a hint of anchovy - a true taste of Italy in every forkful.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca (Pasta Puttanesca) Recipe

This quick yet famously flavor-packed dish transforms pantry staples into a gourmet meal in just 20 minutes. Drawing from the richness of tomatoes, the pungency of garlic, and the unique twist of anchovies that magically blend without a trace of fishiness, this dish is a testament to the simplicity and depth of Italian cooking. With olives adding a briny kick and a hint of umami that ties it all together.

Ingredients

• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 6 anchovy fillets or 2 teaspoon anchovy paste - see note 1
• 1 cup stoned black olives - see note 2
• 12 oz spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ¼ cup olive oil - see note 3
• ½ cup crushed tomatoes or passata
• fresh basil/parsley to serve
• grated parmesan.

Instructions

Cook the Spaghetti

• Start boiling the spaghetti in salted water as per the package instructions because the sauce will only take about 5 minutes to make.

Make the Sauce

• In a large skillet or frying pan, cook the sliced garlic in plenty of extra virgin olive oil over low heat.
• Add the anchovy fillets or anchovy paste to the garlic and olive oil, stirring the mixture until a thick paste forms.
• To the paste, add the chopped cherry tomatoes and a few tablespoons of crushed tomatoes.
  Gently simmer the mixture for a couple of minutes to let the flavors meld.

Combine Pasta and Sauce:

• When the pasta is cooked, reserve some pasta cooking water, and then drain the pasta.
  Add the spaghetti to the sauce along with a splash of the pasta cooking water.
• This helps to bring the sauce together and ensures every strand of spaghetti is coated in the puttanesca sauce.

Serve:

• Serve the Spaghetti alla Puttanesca hot, possibly with a side salad or a protein like pan-fried chicken breast or steak.

Serving Suggestions

• Side Salad
• Chicken or meat
• Red Wine.
• White Wine:

Tips and Tricks

• The recipe emphasizes the importance of anchovies for adding a depth of flavor to the sauce.
• Even if you're not a fan of anchovies, in this dish, they melt away and impart a rich, umami flavor without a fishy taste.
• If you're vegetarian, vegan, or absolutely cannot stand anchovies, you can substitute them with capers to achieve a somewhat similar salty, briny tang.
• The recipe uses a combination of chopped cherry tomatoes and crushed tomatoes, giving the sauce a fresh yet robust tomato flavor that's both rich and light.