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More Perfect Pasta Recipes
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Spaghetti alla puttanesca is one of my favourite quick pasta dishes – bold, briny, and full of flavour. I simmer garlic, anchovies, olives, capers, and tomatoes into a punchy sauce that clings perfectly to spaghetti. It’s salty, savoury, and comes together in about 20 minutes with pantry staples. I love it for busy nights when I want something satisfying but don’t want to spend ages cooking. It’s proper grown-up comfort food, full of character and no fuss.
Ingredients
- 200g spaghetti
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 anchovy fillets
- 1 tsp chilli, minced
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 400g diced tomatoes, tinned
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1/2 cup black olives
- Salt, to season
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add anchovies and break down into the oil using a wooden spoon.
- Stir through the chilli and garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, capers and olives and season with a pinch of salt.
- Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally, whilst the pasta cooks.
- Cook pasta in well-salted water according to packet directions, less one minute.
- Drain the pasta and then stir through the sauce, simmering for 1-2 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente.
What I Cook With
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 596Total Fat: 31.9gSaturated Fat: 6.4gCholesterol: 78mgmgSodium: 864mgCarbohydrates: 63.5gFiber: 1.3gSugar: 0gProtein: 15.7g
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Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
The Pasta I Always Come Back To
If I had to pick one pasta dish to eat for the rest of my life, it’d be Spaghetti alla Puttanesca. No hesitation. It’s salty, rich, punchy, ready in fifteen minutes, and packs more flavour than half the slow-cooked sauces I’ve made over the years. You know how some recipes feel like an old friend? This is mine. The kind of meal that doesn’t ask for much but always delivers. And, look, I’m not saying I’ve eaten it once a week for the past decade, but I’m not not saying that either.
The first time I came across Spaghetti alla Puttanesca was in Nigella’s Kitchen, where she rather cheekily refers to it as Sluts’ Spaghetti. The name alone got my attention, but it was the list of ingredients that really hooked me. I loved the idea of a sauce so briny and intense that it smacked you in the tastebuds. Except… my first attempts were an utter disaster. The sauce didn’t come together, the flavour was all off, and it just didn’t taste how I knew it should taste. And I never throw away food, but those first versions ended up in the bin. One of only two recipes in my entire cooking life I’ve ever scrapped.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself in a small Italian restaurant in central London. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca was on the menu, and I knew I had to try it. Finally. It was everything I’d dreamed it would be. Salty, rich, a little spicy, and ridiculously comforting. I went home and tried again, and that’s when it finally worked. Ever since then, it’s been one of those recipes I always have the ingredients for. Tinned tomatoes, olives, anchovies, capers – i’s all pantry staples really. And once you nail the balance, it’s hard not to crave it regularly.
A Dish for the Hard Days
This one’s going to get personal. I’m living in Scotland, and we’ve just entered the first lockdown. We’ve been told to stay home, everything’s shutting down, and I feel stuck. Literally and emotionally. My marriage is over in every way that matters. I found out he’s been taking money from our joint account, and after months of manipulation, cruelty, and just complete emotional exhaustion, I had finally planned my escape. Lease ready to sign. Bags ready to pack. And now? Lockdown.
I can’t even fly back to Australia. Even though I’m a citizen, flights are nearly impossible and the borders are a nightmare. I’m trapped. With him. With no exit plan anymore. The hopelessness is overwhelming. The kitchen has become my only safe space. When I’m happy, I cook. And I had been happy, these past few weeks. I’d been planning, imagining a new life, getting excited again. So of course, I’d been cooking a lot. But now that’s all gone. My hope’s disappeared. And yet, I keep reaching for the ingredients for Spaghetti alla Puttanesca.
Because some meals are more than just dinner. This one reminds me that I’ve survived worse. That I will survive this too. That there will be a moment, not now, but someday soon, where I’ll be eating this exact pasta in my own flat, with my own money, in my own peace. Just me and little Maia. I don’t know when that will be. But I believe it will come. And this dish will get me there.
Pantry Staples with Attitude
Right, back to it. What I love about Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is that it’s got a kind of unapologetic boldness. It’s not trying to be delicate or refined. It’s loud, assertive, and knows exactly who it is. Which, to be fair, is the energy I needed when I felt small and voiceless. It’s also one of the easiest pastas to throw together without needing to hit the shops. I always have a few tins of tomatoes, jars of olives and capers, and a tube of anchovy paste tucked away. I don’t always have fresh basil or cream or any of that fancy stuff, but Puttanesca never asks for it. It’s humble but fierce.
Once I got the balance right, it became my go-to when I didn’t know what else to make. It’s perfect for nights when I want comfort but don’t have the energy to faff about. The anchovies melt into the sauce, the garlic perfumes the kitchen, and the olives and capers bring all that salty, savoury magic. It doesn’t need cheese, it doesn’t need butter, and it certainly doesn’t need approval. It’s the kind of dish that reminds me I’ve got good taste, even when everything else feels like a mess.
And every time I make it, I still think of that day in London. Of the first time it worked in my kitchen. Of the quiet defiance I felt cooking it during lockdown when my world was falling apart. It’s a small thing, a plate of pasta. But sometimes those small things hold a lot of power.
Ingredients Breakdown
Let’s be real for a second. If a recipe starts with anchovies, garlic, and olive oil, you already know it’s going to be good. Those three together form the flavour base of the puttanesca sauce, with the anchovies melting down into something deeply savoury rather than fishy. Garlic does what garlic does, bringing warmth and aroma that makes you want to stand over the pan and inhale like it’s therapy.
The chopped tomatoes provide the body of the sauce, and you want them good quality. Not all tinned tomatoes are created equal. Then you’ve got the capers and olives, which are non-negotiable in my house. I go for kalamata if I can, but black olives will do in a pinch. They add that briny, punchy hit that makes puttanesca taste like puttanesca. No need for wine, no need for cream, no need for faff.
Spaghetti is my weapon of choice, but linguine or fettuccine also work. And the best part? Everything can live in your cupboard until you need it. It’s the pantry pasta that saves you from boring dinners and emotional spirals alike. And yes, I still eat it every other week. Wouldn’t you?
OH my, I need to try this ASAP! Thanks dear!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
You’re going to love it – it’s so tasty!! xx
Literally bookmarking this so that I can eat it tomorrow haha!
xx, mel
http://melinspired.com/compression-socks/
Thanks babe! Let me know how it goes x
Looks delicious, my friend! Hoping you are doing well during the COVID-19! Be well and stay safe!
xoxo,Vanessa
http://www.whatwouldvwear.com
Thanks Vanessa, hope you’re staying safe and healthy! What a crazy time to be living through xx
I have never had this dish before. Your description of it sounds so wonderful that I it makes me want to try it right now. We will be having it for dinner tonight!
Oh wow! This looks incredible — and something right up my husband’s alley with the olives and capers! Can’t wait to try!
That looks fabulous with all those black olives. I wouldn’t add anchovies, but I am sure it will still taste amazing.
love everything about this recipe! every single ingredient is literally my favourite, and anything that takes 15 minutes to make is a winner in my book!
Same!! And when you put it all together it’s simply magical!
I have plenty of pasta stocked in the pantry, so I can’t wait to make this pasta! Especially since it only takes 15 minutes!
You will honestly love it, especially if you’re a fan of intense flavours!