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Ultimate Pasta Puttanesca

Ultimate Pasta Puttanesca Recipe

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This authentic Neapolitan pasta puttanesca is a pungent, savory, and bold dish that transforms humble pantry staples into a restaurant-quality meal. By carefully sweating garlic in premium olive oil and simmering San Marzano tomatoes with briny Kalamata olives and capers, you create a complex, concentrated sauce that coats al dente spaghetti perfectly. It is a quick yet sophisticated dinner option that relies on high-quality ingredients for maximum depth of flavor.

Ingredients

Scale

1 lb Spaghetti (artisanal bronze-cut recommended)
4 cloves Garlic (thinly sliced)
1 cup Kalamata olives (pitted and roughly chopped)
3 tbsp Capers (rinsed well)
28 oz Crushed tomatoes (San Marzano variety recommended)
1 tsp Red pepper flakes
1/4 cup Fresh parsley (finely chopped)
1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers.
Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking until the garlic turns golden brown but not burnt.
Stir in the chopped olives and rinsed capers to toast them slightly in the infused oil for two minutes.
Pour the crushed tomatoes into the skillet and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, or until the oil separates and rises to the surface.
While the sauce simmers, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente.
Drain the pasta and toss it directly into the skillet with the sauce until well coated.
Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

Notes

Ensure you rinse the capers thoroughly to avoid making the dish overly salty. For the best result, cook the sauce until the oil separates, as this indicates the flavors have fully concentrated. Always use high-quality, bronze-cut pasta as it has a rougher texture that holds the sauce significantly better than standard pasta.

Nutrition