I bookmark A LOT of recipes, and there are very few where once I read it, I’m determined to make it stat. This was one of those when I first came across it on Serious Eats. I mean, what is there not to like about anchovies, capers, and olives?! That sounds like a glorious combination for a pasta sauce! Plus, the whole back story about prostitutes making it and the pungent smell attracting patrons sounds like a juicy soap opera. I had to try!
I’ve played around with this dish a lot, mixing and matching ingredients and methods from other recipes to make it my own. I’ve learned over the course of experimentation that I JUST LOVE SAUCE. Cooking down crushed canned tomatoes doesn’t give me the satisfaction that store-bought marinara gives me. Authentic Italian? Of course not. But it’s absolutely delicious and I hope you’ll enjoy it too.
If you like my Spaghetti Puttanesca-ish, try this:
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Spaghetti Puttanesca-ish
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Mains
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
What’s not to love about anchovies, capers, and olives?! It’s a glorious combination for a pasta sauce!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound (225g) of dried spaghetti
- Salt
- Light olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced or finely chopped
- 1 2-ounce can of anchovy fillets packed in oil, chopped, canned oil reserved
- 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flake
- 1 tablespoon of capers, drained and chopped
- 1/4 cup of Kalamata olives, drained and chopped
- 16 oz (1/2 jar) of store-bought marinara sauce
- A small handful of parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
- 1 ounce of Parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for serving
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti. Bring a large pot of water seasoned generously with salt and a couple tablespoons of oil to a boil. Cook the spaghetti one minute less than the package recommendation for al dente. When cooking, stir the spaghetti occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pot. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water and drain the spaghetti through a colander.
- Prepare the sauce. Preheat a pan to medium. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, garlic, anchovies and its reserved oil, and red pepper flake. Cook until garlic is fragrant, around 2 minutes. Add the capers and olives and stir to combine. Add the marinara sauce, stir to combine, and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.
- Put it all together. If the spaghetti has become clumpy, loosen the noodles with your hands prior to transferring the spaghetti to the sauce. Combine well.
- If your sauce needs loosening, crank up the heat to medium-high and add a few tablespoons of pasta water and mix well. Repeat until the sauce is at your preferred consistency.
- Taste test the pasta to see if it is cooked to your preferred level of doneness. Continue mixing and cooking until it meets your preferences. Turn the heat off and stir in parsley and cheese. Season with salt, pepper and more cheese, if necessary. Enjoy immediately!
