{"id":11597,"date":"2026-09-30T20:49:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T20:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/?p=11597"},"modified":"2026-10-01T19:05:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:05:27","slug":"spaghetti-alla-puttanesca-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/spaghetti-alla-puttanesca-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Spaghetti alla Puttanesca [Video]"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/div>\n\t<\/g><\/svg><\/span> Print Recipe<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n

<\/span>Spaghetti alla Puttanesca [Video]<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a traditional Italian pasta from Naples that\u2019s quick to put together from pantry staples. If you have canned tomatoes, garlic, olives, anchovies and capers in your cupboard, you can knock out this simple but flavourful sauce in a flash. It\u2019s a stellar emergency meal everyone should know, with a \u201csaucy\u201d backstory of its own!<\/span><\/div>\n
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Prep Time<\/span>5 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time<\/span>15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time<\/span>20 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Servings: <\/span>2<\/span><\/div>\n\n
Author: <\/span>Nagi Maehashi – Recipe Tin Eats<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/span>Ingredients<\/span><\/h3>
  • 200<\/span> g \/ 7oz<\/span> spaghetti<\/span> or other long pasta<\/span><\/li>
  • 2<\/span> Tbsp<\/span> extra virgin olive oil<\/span> plus more for drizzling<\/span><\/li>
  • 2<\/span> cloves<\/span> garlic<\/span> finely minced (knife, not garlic press)<\/span><\/li>
  • 3<\/span> anchovy fillets<\/span> finely minced (Note 1)<\/span><\/li>
  • \u00bc<\/span> cup<\/span> pitted black olives<\/span> preferably in oil, quartered (Note 2)<\/span><\/li>
  • 1<\/span> Tbsp<\/span> capers<\/span> drained (Note 3)<\/span><\/li>
  • \u00bc<\/span> tsp<\/span> chilli flakes<\/span> red pepper flakes<\/span><\/li>
  • 400<\/span> g \/ 14oz <\/span> can crushed tomato<\/span> or hand crush whole canned tomatoes<\/span><\/li>
  • \u00bd<\/span> cup<\/span> water<\/span><\/li>
  • 1<\/span> tsp<\/span> fresh oregano<\/span> roughly chopped (sub 1\/4 tsp dried)<\/span><\/li>
  • \u215b<\/span> tsp<\/span> kosher \/ cooking salt<\/span> or 2 pinches table salt<\/span><\/li>
  • \u215b<\/span> tsp<\/span> black pepper<\/span><\/li>
  • \u00bc<\/span> tsp<\/span> sugar<\/span> if needed (depends on tomato quality, Note 4)<\/span><\/li>
  • 2<\/span> Tbsp<\/span> fresh basil<\/span> roughly chopped (Note 6)<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n

    <\/span>Instructions<\/span><\/h3>
    • Prepare:<\/strong> Bring a large pot of water to the boil, ready for the pasta. Warm serving bowls (I microwave 1 minute).<\/span><\/div><\/li>
    • Cook garlic:<\/strong> Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for 15 seconds until it starts turning golden.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
    • Cook anchovies:<\/strong> Add anchovies, capers, olives and chilli flakes. Cook for 1 minute.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
    • Tomato: <\/strong>Add tomato, then add the 1\/2 cup of water into the can. Swirl around to rinse then pour into the skillet.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
    • Simmer:<\/strong> Add oregano, salt and pepper. Stir, bring to simmer, then turn down to low and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the tomato has broken down and created a sauce. Turn off stove when ready if not timed with cooked pasta.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
    • Cook pasta:<\/strong> Meanwhile, add 2 teaspoons salt into the pot of water. Then add pasta and cook per packet directions.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
    • Reserve pasta water (Note 5):<\/strong> Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of pasta cooking water and set aside. Then drain pasta in a colander.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
    • Toss pasta:<\/strong> Immediately add pasta into sauce. Add 1\/4 cup of pasta cooking water reserved from previous step (Note 5) then use 2 wooden spoons to toss the pasta, still on a low stove, for 1 minute or until the sauce is no longer in the skillet but rather clinging to the pasta strands (but still slick and slippery). If the pasta gets too dry, add more pasta cooking water and toss.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
    • Serve:<\/strong> Immediately transfer into warmed bowls. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with basil. Serve immediately!<\/span><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n
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      <\/span>Notes<\/span><\/h3>

      <\/span>Cooking Tip:<\/span><\/h4>\nYou don’t need much salt in Puttanesca sauce because the olives, capers and anchovies provide the seasoning. Don’t skip the anchovies \u2013 sauteeing it cooks out the fishy flavour and it just dissolves in the sauce, leaving behind savoury flavour you can’t get from just plain salt. You’d have to have a finely attuned palette to even know it’s in the sauce!<\/span>
      <\/div>\n1. Anchovies<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 An essential ingredient in an otherwise simple sauce that adds depth of flavour and salt (but so much more flavour than just plain salt!). Does not make the sauce taste fishy, it dissolves and just adds great savoury flavour. Only people with refined palettes can usually pick that it\u2019s in the sauce!<\/span>
      <\/div>\nSubstitute with 3\/4 to 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste.<\/span>
      <\/div>\n2. Olives<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Use good ones in oil, they have better flavour than cheap ones in brine (water, no oil). It\u2019s necessary for this otherwise simple sauce because the flavour from the olives leaches into the sauce.<\/span>
      <\/div>\nCutting olives<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Many recipes use the olives whole. I can\u2019t figure out why \u2013 cutting releases flavour into the sauce which is key!<\/span>
      <\/div>\n3. Capers<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Normal or baby is fine here. Sometimes the standard capers are unusually large so I opt for baby.<\/span>
      <\/div>\n4. Sugar<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Better quality tomatoes will be sweeter and smoother. Economical ones can be quite sour, sometimes even with chunks that aren\u2019t even red! Use sugar only if needed, add with the salt (taste tomato, if super sour, use sugar).<\/span>
      <\/div>\n5. Pasta cooking water<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The starch from cooking the pasta makes the pasta sauce thicken so it clings to every strand of pasta rather than leaving a watery pool of sauce at the bottom of your pasta bowl. Toss well and watch as the sauce magically sticks to the pasta strands!<\/span>
      <\/div>\n6. Basil<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Lovely fresh finishing touch, but if you don\u2019t have it, just add a sprinkle pf parmesan instead. Obviously a completely different flavour, but brings something else to the dish. Don\u2019t bother with dried basil.<\/span>
      <\/div>\n7. Storage<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Pasta is always best served immediately! As it sits around, the pasta soaks up the sauce and becomes dry. The sauce can be made ahead a couple of days. Leftovers can be reheated with a sprinkle of water to loosen.<\/span>
      <\/div>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

      <\/span>Video<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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