Name: Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 350 g spaghetti; 400 g tomato; 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 3 clove garlic; 6 piece anchovy; 150 g black olives; 2 tbsp capers; 1 tsp peperoncino; 1 handful parsley; 0 salt

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

A bold, salty, savory pasta from southern Italy that comes together in the time it takes to boil the spaghetti. Tomatoes, anchovy, capers, Gaeta olives, garlic, and a hit of chili make a punchy sauce with no cheese in sight.

🌶️Spicy

🇮🇹 Italy ·Europe · $

15 min Prep

20 min Cook

35 min Total

4 portions

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a fiery, deeply savory pasta rooted in Naples and Lazio, built almost entirely from pantry staples. The sauce starts with garlic, anchovy fillets, and peperoncino melted into good olive oil, then gets its backbone from peeled tomatoes that simmer just long enough to break down. Briny capers and purple Gaeta olives carry the salt and fruit, while a generous handful of parsley keeps it fresh and bright. The flavors are meant to be loud, so the chili, olives, and capers should all be noticeable in every bite. True to tradition, no cheese is grated over the top; the anchovy and brine already give it all the depth it needs. It is fast, cheap, and unapologetically full of character, which is exactly why it has stayed on Italian tables for over a century.

Ingredients

350 g spaghetti

400 g tomato peeled, San Marzano or datterini, with juices

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 clove garlic thinly sliced

6 piece anchovy fillets, finely chopped

150 g black olives Gaeta, pitted and halved

2 tbsp capers salt-packed, rinsed and drained

1 tsp peperoncino dried flakes, or 1 fresh red chili

1 handful parsley flat-leaf, chopped

0 salt for the pasta water; go easy in the sauce

Ingredients

4 portions

350 gspaghetti

400 gtomato peeled, San Marzano or datterini, with juices

4 tbspextra-virgin olive oil

3 clovegarlic thinly sliced

6 pieceanchovy fillets, finely chopped

150 gblack olives Gaeta, pitted and halved

2 tbspcapers salt-packed, rinsed and drained

1 tsppeperoncino dried flakes, or 1 fresh red chili

1 handfulparsley flat-leaf, chopped

salt for the pasta water; go easy in the sauce

Instructions

Prep

1

Rinse the salt-packed capers under cold water for a couple of minutes to remove excess salt, then drain. Pit the Gaeta olives if needed and cut them in half. Thinly slice the garlic and finely chop the anchovy fillets and parsley.

Cook

1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti.
~8 min
2

Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic, chopped anchovies, and peperoncino. Cook gently, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and the anchovies dissolve into the oil.
~4 min
3

Stir in the capers and olives and let them warm through for about a minute so their flavor opens up.
~1 min
4

Add the peeled tomatoes, crushing them gently with a fork or wooden spoon. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and let the sauce thicken slightly. Taste before adding any salt, as the anchovies, capers, and olives are already salty.
~8 min

Combine and Serve

1

Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until just under al dente, reserving about a cup of pasta water before draining.
~9 min
2

Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet with a splash of pasta water. Toss frequently over medium heat, adding more pasta water as needed, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce clings to it.
~3 min
3

Stir in most of the chopped parsley off the heat. Serve immediately with the remaining parsley scattered on top and no cheese.

Credits & Inspiration

Italian Kitchen Confessions
Traditional pasta alla puttanesca method with garlic, anchovy, chili, olives, capers, and parsley.
The Pasta Project
Authentic Italian spaghetti alla puttanesca with anchovies, capers, and olives, including quantities and method.
Recipes from Italy
Traditional pasta puttanesca recipe using San Marzano tomatoes, salted capers, anchovies, and black olives.
RecipeTin Eats
Step-by-step spaghetti alla puttanesca with the technique for melting anchovies and emulsifying the sauce.