One Pot Pasta Puttanesca
Loaded with umami, this one pot pasta puttanesca blends the aromatic flavors of capers, kalamata olives and anchovies into a full bodied tomato based sauce. It cooks with the spaghetti all in one pot, making it a super easy meal with very little cleanup.
Why I love this one pot pasta puttanesca
Puttanesca sauce is a favorite in our house. It’s a quick and easy dinner that’s full of flavor, and it’s made with ingredients we usually have on hand – either in the pantry or the fridge.
Throwing everything all in one pot makes it super simple for any night of the week, and I think we can all get behind that.
I used spaghetti for this recipe, but you can easily replace the pasta with another, but I’d recommend staying away from super small or quick cooking pastas such as angel hair or orzo.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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How to make pasta puttanesca
Measure your ingredients. Chop the onion and garlic, and measure out the remaining ingredients. Place them all into a large stockpot or Dutch oven.
Simmer the pasta. Heat the pot over medium-high heat and bring everything to a slow boil. Allow the pasta to cook until the sauce has thickened and it doesn’t look watery. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent burning and ensure that the pasta cooks evenly.
Garnish and serve. When the pasta has absorbed a majority of the liquid and has cooked to al dente, remove from heat and allow the pasta to sit for a few minutes before serving.
Top with fresh parsley (if desired) and serve with grated cheese of your choice (we usually go with pecorino romano).
FAQs and tips on making pasta puttanesca
It roughly translates to “lady of the night”. I’ve read various stories from different sources, and most imply that it was something quick for said ladies to cook when they were working.
It is not considered vegan because of the anchovies, but you could potentially skip that ingredient if you would like. I’d recommend adding another form of umami to the mix, such as a splash of soy sauce or an extra pinch of salt.
Capers and olives are both prominent in the Mediterranean and are typically brined or pickled before use, but the olive is larger and grows on a tree while capers grow on smaller bushes. Olives also have stone pits and capers do not.
More olive & caper pasta recipes
- Green olive pasta with toasted lemon breadcrumbs
- Shrimp and pasta with fresh tomatoes and capers
- Mediterranean coucous salad
- Greek spaghetti
Other one-pot pasta meals
- One pot chicken parmesan pasta
- One pan chicken fajita pasta skillet
- Cajun chicken alfredo pasta
- Jerk shrimp pasta
One Pot Pasta Puttanesca
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Spaghetti
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 16-ounce package of spaghetti
- 4 cups water
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 4 – 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 – 6 ounces kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil (or a few sprigs of fresh basil)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a Dutch oven or large stockpot.
- Bring the pot to a slow boil over medium high heat and allow the pasta to cook to al dente. Stir occasionally help the pasta cook evenly and prevent the bottom from sticking.
- When pasta is tender, remove from heat and allow the pot to rest for a few minutes to absorb any remaining liquids.
- If desired, garnish with fresh parsley and grate cheese before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 111
- Sugar: 7.2 g
- Sodium: 643.3 mg
- Fat: 2.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.1 g
- Fiber: 3.8 g
- Protein: 4.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0.2 mg
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