COOK: Penne Pasta Puttanesca
- Penne Pasta Puttanesca Recipe Ingredients
- Equipment & Method for Preparing Pasta Puttanesca
- Serving and Storing Suggestions for Pasta Puttanesca
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This penne pasta puttanesca recipe is one of our favorite go-to weeknight meals. Whenever you need to have a satisfying dinner on the table in a hurry, this recipe won’t let you down… bringing big flavors with the smallest amount of effort. It’s made from just a few shelf-stable pantry ingredients that are easy to keep on hand, and that you may already have in your kitchen right now.
It’s piquant and rich, with pops of briny olives and capers, accenting the bits of tangy tomato and perfectly al dente pasta that will transport you to the Italian coast. The sauce cooks in the time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta. Other than peeling and slicing a few cloves of garlic, there is no chopping or messy prep, and you can have dinner ready in under half an hour!
Penne Pasta Puttanesca Recipe Ingredients
Pasta:
This sauce is usually served with a long pasta like spaghetti or linguine, but it also works with large short cuts of pasta. It’s especially nice with the penne pairing here, as the thin sauce permeates the hollow pasta and clings to the ridges, while the chunks of tomato and olives are a textural contrast. Use a good quality Italian bronze-extruded semolina pasta if you can get it.
Tomato:
The sauce starts with sauteing a couple tablespoons of tomato paste or concentrate along with the garlic and chili flakes in extra virgin olive oil. Then, after the olives and capers are added, a small can of diced tomato along with the juice forms the main body of the sauce. The tomato paste adds sweetness and richness to the sauce, and the diced tomatoes add body and brightness.
Garlic & Herbs:
The fresh sliced garlic is essential to the flavor of the dish. We’re layering in a dash of dried garlic powder as well, although you can omit this if you don’t have it or don’t like using it. If you don’t have fresh garlic or don’t have the time (or “spoons”) to peel and slice it, don’t let that stop you from trying this sauce! You can cheat and use the jarred pre-chopped stuff or garlic paste- you’ll lose some of the brightness and sharpness that you get with fresh garlic, but it’s still going to be delicious.
Herbs are not traditionally necessary here, but a dash of either dried or chopped fresh oregano leaves add a piquant note and a bit of color. If you have fresh parsley, feel free to garnish the finished dish with a sprinkle of leaves cut into a fine chiffonade… but don’t bother with dried parsley.
Anchovy (and vegetarian substitutes):
One or two filets of anchovy, packed in olive oil, add umami and a briny flavor that is distinctive to the flavor of the dish. You can use more if you’re a big fan, but even if you think you don’t like them, give it a try with at least one filet. If you like Worcestershire sauce, you like anchovies, which are an important part of the flavor of that basic condiment! They will melt into the sauce and just leave a hint of fishy flavor.
You can buy them packed in oil or salt. I like the ones packed in olive oil, either in small tins or jars. If you get the ones in a small tin, transfer them into a sanitized small jar and they’ll keep in the fridge or freezer for quite awhile. The salted ones last even longer, but you probably want to rinse the excess salt from them, and taste your sauce before adding any additional salt.
If you are cooking for vegetarians or have allergy issues with fish, of course omit them, though the flavor of the sauce will be changed. The best substitute for the anchovies, if you must leave them out, is a bit of umeboshi plum paste, or a dash of umeboshi plum vinegar. You could also try a teaspoon of red miso paste, or good quality (traditionally fermented) soy sauce.
Olives and Capers:
Capers are the pickled buds of a small shrub, and have an addictive briny tang that’s fantastic with tomato, fish, and pasta. They’re sold either packed in brine or salt. I like the brined ones, but either is fine. Much like with anchovies, if you use capers that were packed in salt, you probably want to rinse them or adjust the salt in the sauce.
You could use a lot of different kinds of olives in this sauce, but I like kalamata. Regular canned black olives are an American invention, and pretty bland for this dish, but if you don’t like sharper brined olives, you could substitute them. However, brined castelvetrano olives would be a better substitute if you want something milder than the kalamatas. You can also use a blend of pitted brined or rinsed salt-cured olives.
Equipment & Method for Preparing Pasta Puttanesca
Pasta Pot and Strainer:
You want to boil your pasta in plenty of salted water. I like to use a pot and strainer combo for pasta, which makes draining the finished pasta really easy. Remember to save a cup or so of your pasta water in case you want to thin the sauce when you toss it with the pasta. Pasta water is also a great base to making soups, as it’s already salty and thickened with starch, but if you are saving it, remember that it’s perishable and needs to be cooled quickly and then refrigerated. I usually save a few cups in a jar in the fridge whenever we drain pasta (if we have space for it), and toss it if we don’t use it within a few days.
Small stainless or enameled sauce pan or sauteuse:
This sauce is pretty acidic, so I don’t like to use my cast iron pans for this one. It’s fine, but can remove some seasoning from the pan or discolor the sauce. I use a small heavy-bottomed enamel pan for this, though any non-reactive pan should work (so no uncoated iron or aluminum). For a single batch of the sauce, you want a pan between two and four quarts.
Serving and Storing Suggestions for Pasta Puttanesca
This pasta makes a hearty one-dish meatless meal, especially served with a green salad or a side of crusty bread or garlic toasts.
Like most pasta dishes, it’s best served immediately after being prepared, but you can certainly reheat leftovers or enjoy them as a cold pasta salad the next day. Refrigerate any leftovers in a tightly sealed container for up to four days.
Cooked pasta does not freeze well, although you could refrigerate or freeze the prepared sauce, and cook the pasta fresh when you want to serve it.
Penne Pasta Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4-6 large garlic cloves, sliced
- 1-3 tsp red chili flakes
- 1-2 fillets anchovy (omit for strict vegetarian version, or see notes)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp capers
- ⅓ cup kalamata olives (with brine)
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 16 oz penne pasta (spaghetti or linguini are traditional, and any long pasta will also work)
- salt to taste (for pasta water and sauce) & black pepper
- Parmesan cheese or fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with salted water (taste it if you aren't sure- it should be just lightly salted, as this sauce is already quite salty) and bring it to a boil while you start the sauce.
- Peel and thinly slice the garlic cloves, and assemble the rest of the ingredients.
- In a saute pan or medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil until it begins to shimmer. Saute the garlic, chili flakes, and anchovy until they're fragrant, and the garlic is just beginning to color very lightly around the edges. Stir in the tomato paste and saute briefly, breaking the tomato paste up with the spatula or wooden spoon.
- Add the capers and kalamata olives with their liquid and saute for another minute. Next, add the oregano and garlic powder, if you're using it, and some freshly ground black pepper.
- Add the can of diced tomatoes and the spoonful of sugar and simmer the sauce over medium high heat while you cook the pasta. You can also leave it to simmer over very low heat if you want to prepare it ahead of time and hold it to serve later.
- When the pasta water is at a rolling boil, add all the pasta and stir. Stir again a few more times as you bring it back up to a rolling boil. Cook according to package directions (usually 9-12 minutes, but cook times vary). Taste the pasta and drain it when it is just cooked through but still firm. Reserve a cup or so of the pasta water (although you may not need it).
- Toss the hot pasta with the sauce, and mix until well combined. Add a splash of the reserved hot pasta water if the sauce seems thick, or isn't clinging to all the pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve immediately in wide bowls or deep plates. You can garnish it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you like, chopped fresh parsley, or just some fresh black pepper or pepper flakes.
