Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Pasta with tomatoes, olives, capers & anchovies
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 400 g Spaghetti
- 1 tin San Marzano tomatoes (DOP)
- 6 Anchovy fillets
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 100 g Kalamata olives
- 2 tbsp Capers
- 40 ml Extra-virgin olive oil
- 40 g Salt
- ½ tsp Red pepper flakes (optional)
- 3 tbsp Parsley (optional)
Method
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt heavily.
- Slice the garlic thin. Pit and roughly chop the olives.
- Crush the tomatoes by hand. Chop the parsley.
- Warm the oil with garlic in a skillet over medium-low until pale gold.
- Add the anchovies and stir until they melt into the oil.
- Tip in the tomatoes, olives, capers, and chilli. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Drop the spaghetti and cook one minute shy of al dente (firm to the bite).
- Reserve a mugful of pasta water, then drain.
- Toss the spaghetti in the sauce off heat for a minute, loosening with pasta water until glossy.
- Plate and shower with parsley.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Spaghetti alla puttanesca is a Neapolitan pantry pasta, a gutsy southern Italian sauce built entirely from things that keep — anchovies, olives, capers, and canned tomatoes — which is exactly why it can come together in about twenty minutes without a trip to the market. Its bawdy name and murky origin story have inspired plenty of legend, but the dish itself is straightforward: a punchy, briny tomato sauce clung to strands of spaghetti. It sits proudly in the tradition of cucina povera, coaxing outsized flavor from cheap, shelf-stable ingredients.
What you taste is savory depth and salt-cured intensity — the anchovies melt invisibly into warm oil and disappear as fish, leaving only a deep umami backbone, while olives and capers bring salt and tang and red pepper flakes bring a low heat. The method rewards a couple of small disciplines: cooking the garlic only to pale gold, pulling the pasta a minute shy of al dente, and finishing it in the sauce with a splash of starchy pasta water so everything turns glossy and cohesive rather than watery. It's a fast, single-pan weeknight dinner that eats like something you fussed over — best served immediately, with no cheese needed given how much salt the sauce already carries.
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Spaghetti alla Puttanesca?
One serving of Spaghetti alla Puttanesca has about 534 calories, with 16g of protein, 83g of carbs, 16g of fat and 6g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Spaghetti alla Puttanesca gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Spaghetti. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
How long does Spaghetti alla Puttanesca take to make?
About 25 minutes start to finish, but only around 16 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Spaghetti alla Puttanesca?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out red pepper flakes, parsley — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Spaghetti alla Puttanesca make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.