Spaghetti alla Puttanesca Recipe

Name: Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 200 g Spaghetti; 4 tbsp Olive Oil; 4 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced; 4 Anchovy Fillets in Oil, drained (from a tin or jar); 0.5 tsp Chilli Flakes, or to taste; 400 g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes; 80 g Kalamata Olives, pitted and roughly chopped; 2 tbsp Capers, drained and rinsed; 1 tsp Dried Oregano; Salt and Black Pepper, to taste; Fresh Flat-leaf Parsley, roughly chopped, to serve

Spaghetti alla puttanesca is one of the boldest, most assertively flavoured pasta dishes in the Italian repertoire - a punchy sauce of tomatoes, anchovies, Kalamata olives, capers, garlic, and chilli that comes together in the time it takes to boil a pan of water. It's a dish built entirely from storecupboard staples, yet the result is anything but ordinary.

The name - loosely translated as "in the style of a street woman" - is as colourful as the dish itself, and the origins are disputed. What's not disputed is how good it tastes. The anchovies melt entirely into the sauce, providing a deep savoury backbone rather than any fishy flavour, while the olives and capers bring brininess, and the chilli provides a gentle heat that ties everything together.

This is the recipe to reach for when the fridge is empty but the storecupboard is stocked. Ready in 30 minutes, naturally dairy free, and full of flavour with minimal effort - puttanesca is one of the most useful recipes a home cook can have. All ingredients are available at any major UK supermarket.

Ingredients

200 g Spaghetti
4 tbsp Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves , thinly sliced
4 Anchovy Fillets in Oil , drained (from a tin or jar)
0.5 tsp Chilli Flakes , or to taste
400 g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
80 g Kalamata Olives , pitted and roughly chopped
2 tbsp Capers , drained and rinsed
1 tsp Dried Oregano
Salt and Black Pepper , to taste
Fresh Flat-leaf Parsley , roughly chopped, to serve (optional)

Method

Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Cook the spaghetti for 1 min less than the packet instructions. Before draining, reserve a large mugful (at least 150ml) of starchy pasta water.
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and anchovy fillets and cook gently for 2–3 mins, stirring, until the garlic is lightly golden and the anchovies have completely melted into the oil.

Tip: Don't let the garlic brown - it should turn pale gold and fragrant. Burnt garlic will make the whole sauce bitter. Keep the heat moderate and watch it closely.
Add the chilli flakes and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stir well, scraping up any bits from the base of the pan. Simmer over a medium heat for 10 mins until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Stir in the olives, capers, and oregano. Taste before adding any salt - the anchovies, olives, and capers are all salty, so the sauce may need very little or none. Add black pepper to taste and simmer for a further 3–4 mins.

Tip: Puttanesca should be bold and intensely flavoured - resist the temptation to mellow it out. The brininess of the olives and capers and the heat of the chilli are what make the dish.
Add the drained spaghetti to the sauce and toss well, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen and help the sauce cling to the pasta. Serve immediately in warmed bowls, scattered with fresh parsley if using.

Alternatives & Variations

Reduce the olive oil to 2 tbsp - the sauce still comes together well and the anchovies provide enough fat to carry the garlic and chilli; saves around 120 kcal per serving
Use wholewheat spaghetti - adds fibre and a nuttier depth that works well with the bold sauce
Reduce the olives to 50g and the capers to 1 tbsp - cuts the sodium content noticeably without losing the essential character of the dish

The anchovies are the only non-vegan ingredient. Omit them and replace with 1 tbsp of capers (in addition to those already in the recipe) and 1 tbsp of soy sauce or a small piece of nori (dried seaweed) added to the oil at the start - both add umami depth that partially replicates the savoury backbone the anchovies provide. The sauce won't be identical but it's a very good vegan puttanesca. Check your pasta brand is egg-free if being strict.

Swap the spaghetti for a good quality gluten free spaghetti - Rummo and Barilla both produce reliable gluten free pasta ranges available at Tesco and Sainsbury's. All other ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free. Check the anchovy tin and caper jar labels if you have a severe intolerance, though both are almost always gluten free.

FAQs

Just 30 mins - 10 mins of prep and 20 mins of cooking. It's one of the fastest proper pasta dishes on the site, and everything happens simultaneously while the pasta boils.

Rated Easy. There's very little technique involved - the main thing to watch is the garlic, which can turn bitter if it browns too much. Otherwise it's a case of adding ingredients to the pan in the right order and letting them do the work.

No - this is the most common concern about puttanesca and the answer is a firm no. Anchovy fillets melt completely into the hot oil within minutes, leaving no fishy flavour or texture at all. What they leave behind is a rich, savoury depth - umami - that makes the sauce taste more complex and satisfying. You would not know anchovies were in the dish unless told.

The sauce freezes well - make a double batch and freeze portions in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in a saucepan, adding a splash of water to loosen. Cook fresh pasta to serve. The cooked pasta itself doesn't freeze well.

The sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept covered in the fridge - it improves with a little time as the flavours meld. Reheat gently in a pan and cook fresh pasta just before serving.

Puttanesca is bold enough to stand alone as a complete dish. A simple green salad with a light lemon dressing is all it needs alongside it. Crusty bread to mop up the sauce is always welcome, but avoid anything creamy or rich - the sauce is intensely flavoured and needs nothing heavy alongside it.