Italian Puttanesca Sauce

Name: Italian Puttanesca Sauce
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Neapolitan
Ingredients: 3 tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 4 cloves (14 g) garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 6 fillets (20 g) oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and roughly chopped; ½ tsp (1 g) red pepper flakes; 28 oz can (794 g) whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, with their juices; ¾ cup (110 g) Kalamata olives, pitted and halved; 2 tbsp (17 g) capers, drained; 1 tsp (1 g) dried oregano; ¼ cup (15 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; kosher salt, to taste, added at the end; black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A bold, briny Neapolitan sauce built on garlic, anchovies, olives, and capers melted into crushed tomatoes. It comes together in about 30 minutes and is enough to coat a pound of pasta.

Prep: 12 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 37 min
Makes: About 3 cups (720 ml) sauce, enough for 1 lb (450 g) pasta

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Steps

Before you start

Drain and rinse the capers briefly if salt-packed or very salty; drain brine-packed capers well.
Pit the olives if they still have pits: press each with the flat of a knife and pull out the pit.
Anchovies and capers are salty, so do not add salt until the sauce is finished and tasted.
If serving with pasta, start boiling salted water when the sauce begins to simmer (step 5).

1
Prep the ingredients
- Slice the garlic thinly, chop the anchovies, halve the pitted olives, drain the capers, and chop the parsley.
- Pour the tomatoes into a bowl and crush each one by hand into rough, small pieces, keeping all the juices.
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Ready when: Tomatoes are in pieces no larger than a walnut.
Tip: Crushing by hand gives better texture than blending, which turns the sauce pink and thin.
2
Melt the anchovies
- Heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium-low heat for 1 minute.
- Add the anchovies and stir with a wooden spoon, pressing them against the pan for 2 to 3 minutes.
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Ready when: Anchovies have dissolved into the oil and no whole pieces remain.
Tip: Keep the heat gentle so the anchovies melt rather than fry and turn bitter.
3
Bloom garlic and chili
- Add the garlic and red pepper flakes.
- Cook, stirring constantly, for 45 to 60 seconds.
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Ready when: Garlic is fragrant and just pale golden at the edges.
Tip: Browned garlic tastes acrid. If it darkens, add the tomatoes immediately to stop the cooking.
4
Add tomatoes
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and juices, then add the oregano.
- Scrape up any bits stuck to the pan and stir well.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a lively bubble.
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Ready when: The sauce is bubbling steadily across the surface.
5
Simmer the sauce
- Reduce the heat to medium-low so the sauce simmers gently.
- Cook uncovered, stirring every 4 to 5 minutes, for 15 minutes.
- If you are serving pasta, boil it now in well-salted water.
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Ready when: Sauce has thickened and a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a trail that closes slowly.
Tip: If it thickens too much, loosen with a splash of pasta water.
6
Add olives and capers
- Stir in the olives and capers.
- Simmer 5 more minutes so their flavors mingle with the tomatoes.
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Ready when: Sauce is glossy with oil pooling slightly at the edges.
7
Season and finish
- Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the parsley.
- Taste, then add black pepper and salt only if needed.
- Serve over 1 lb (450 g) cooked spaghetti or linguine, tossing the pasta in the sauce with a splash of pasta water for 1 minute.
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Ready when: Flavor is bold, briny, and balanced, with a mild chili warmth.
Tip: Taste before salting; the anchovies, olives, and capers usually provide enough.

Good to know

Tips

Use good canned whole tomatoes such as San Marzano style; they set the sauce's sweetness.
Reserve 1 cup (240 ml) of pasta water; its starch helps the sauce cling to the noodles.
For a vegetarian version, omit the anchovies and add 1 extra tablespoon of capers and a pinch of salt.
Do not skip the gentle anchovy melt; it adds depth without a fishy taste.

Make ahead

"The sauce keeps well and tastes better after a day. Make it up to 3 days ahead, cool completely, and refrigerate; add the parsley when reheating."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Refrigerator: airtight container up to 4 days. Freezer: up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water if thick."

Substitutions

oil-packed anchovy fillets → 1 tbsp anchovy paste. Dissolves quickly in the oil; use for 6 fillets.
Kalamata olives → Gaeta or black oil-cured olives. Oil-cured olives are slightly milder and chewier.
whole peeled tomatoes → 1 lb (450 g) ripe cherry tomatoes plus 1 cup (240 ml) passata. Cook the cherry tomatoes down until they burst, about 10 minutes.
red pepper flakes → 1 fresh red chili, sliced. Add with the garlic.