Pasta Puttanesca
Puttanesca sauce is one of my family’s very favorite pasta sauces. It’s very simple to make and tastes fantastic–we love the salty flavors of the kalamata olives, capers, and anchovies paired with the sweet roasted tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. This tangy sauce is very versatile and can be used with any shape of pasta; it’s also great on chicken or fish. I served this pasta puttanesca recipe with a simple butter lettuce salad and crusty bread for a delicious, healthy meal that we all enjoyed.
Pasta Puttanesca
Sauce:
- 1 (28-oz) can of whole tomatoes
- Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 anchovies, chopped (don’t use if you want a vegetarian version)
- ½ tsp of dried oregano
- ½ tsp of dried basil
- Pinch of crushed red pepper, to taste
- 1 (15-oz) can of tomato sauce
- 15-20 pitted kalamata olives, loosely chopped
- 1 tbsp capers, loosely chopped
- 1 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 tsp sugar, to taste
Other Ingredients:
- 1 lb. penne pasta, cooked to al dente, per instructions
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Parmesan, grated
How to Make Pasta Puttanesca:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
Take the whole tomatoes from the can, reserving the juices for later, and place them on the baking sheet. Season the tomatoes with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste, and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top, then roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place the roasted tomatoes in a large bowl, then blend them with an immersion blender (or blender) until smooth.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onion, and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Add garlic, anchovies, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste, and cook, stirring constantly, for 60 seconds.
Add the blended tomatoes, reserved juice, tomato sauce, olives, capers, balsamic vinegar, and sugar.
Cover and simmer over low heat for 1-3 hours. The longer it cooks, the better the flavor. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Right before serving, stir in the fresh chopped basil and parsley.
Cook the pasta to al dente in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to the package instructions.
Serve pasta with sauce and parmesan cheese. Enjoy. Â
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1 (28-oz) can of whole tomatoes
- Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 2 anchovies chopped (don't use if you want a vegetarian version)
- ½ tsp of dried oregano
- ½ tsp of dried basil
- Pinch of crushed red pepper to taste
- 1 (15-oz) can of tomato sauce
- 15-20 pitted kalamata olives loosely chopped
- 1 tbsp capers loosely chopped
- 1 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 tsp sugar to taste
Other Ingredients:
- 1 lb. penne pasta cooked to al dente, per instructions
- 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- Parmesan grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
- Take the whole tomatoes from the can, reserving the juices for later, and place them on the baking sheet. Season the tomatoes with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste, and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top, then roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place the roasted tomatoes in a large bowl, then blend them with an immersion blender (or blender) until smooth.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onion, and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add garlic, anchovies, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste, and cook, stirring constantly, for 60 seconds.
- Add the blended tomatoes, reserved juice, tomato sauce, olives, capers, balsamic vinegar, and sugar. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1-3 hours. The longer it cooks, the better the flavor. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
- Right before serving, stir in the fresh chopped basil and parsley.
- Cook the pasta to al dente in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to the package instructions.
- Serve pasta with sauce and parmesan cheese. Enjoy.
