Puttanesca sauce has a robust flavor.
It’s a bold and savory Italian sauce made with tomatoes, anchovies, capers, garlic, and olives, perfect for enhancing pasta dishes.
![Don't settle for the same spaghetti sauce when you can upgrade to this flavorful puttanesca. This traditional Italian sauce combines salty and sweet ingredients like capers, anchovies, tomatoes, garlic, and olives, simmered in a rich tomato sauce. It pairs perfectly with pasta such as penne or rigatoni, and can even be used as a delicious topping for chicken parmesan. Elevate your meal with this classic, savory sauce. #spendwithpennies bowl of Puttanesca](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Puttanesca-SpendWithPennies-6.jpg)
- The capers, olives, and anchovies make this sauce irresistibly delicious.
- This sauce packs a punch of umami flavor.
- Pasta Puttanesca smells and tastes like it’s been simmering for hours but takes less than 30 minutes on the stove.
![Puttanesca offers a flavorful twist on traditional spaghetti sauce. Made with capers, anchovies, garlic, olives, and savory seasonings, all simmered in a tomato base, this sauce adds a depth of flavor to your dishes. It's the perfect complement to rigatoni, spaghetti, or penne pasta. You can also use it as a delicious topping for chicken for a delightful meal. #spendwithpennies whole tomatoes , crushed tomatoes , oil , capers , anchovy , garlic , olives , parmesan , red pepper glakes , salt and pepper with labels to make Puttanesca](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IG-Puttanesca-SpendWithPennies-.jpg)
Ingredients for Puttanesca Sauce
Tomatoes: Choose quality tomatoes like San Marzanos for the best flavor. Squeeze the whole tomatoes in Step 2 to get a rustic texture of smaller and larger pieces.
Capers: Rinse capers before using them to remove unnecessary salt.
Anchovies: Anchovies add the signature briny flavor to a classic puttanesca recipe. Anchovies are preferred, but you can replace them with a bit of miso paste, fish sauce, or even seaweed flakes if needed.
Olives: I prefer black olives but kalamata olives or Castelvetrano are salty, sweet, and meaty.
Pasta: Puttanesca pairs well with almost any kind of pasta. I love spaghetti, bucatini, or penne—thicker kinds of pasta that pasta sauce can cling to.
Variations
- I like to toss in a few red pepper flakes for a subtle spicy kick to the sauce.
- In addition to garlic and red pepper flakes, a little dried oregano, fresh parsley, or fresh basil will add a bright and herb-y flavor to the pasta puttanesca recipe.
![Puttanesca is a deeply flavorful sauce ideal for topping pasta dishes. Spoon it over penne, rigatoni, or spaghetti noodles. This classic Italian sauce features a tomato base simmered with anchovies, capers, garlic, olives, and savory seasonings. Easy to cook and incredibly delicious, it’s a fantastic addition to any meal. #spendwithpennies adding tomatoes and oil to pan with capers to make Puttanesca](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Puttanesca-SpendWithPennies-2-800x1200.jpg)
![For a deeply flavorful sauce, try this simple puttanesca recipe. It combines anchovies, capers, garlic, olives, and savory seasonings, all simmered with a tomato base. This classic Italian sauce is perfect with penne, rigatoni, or spaghetti noodles. It also works wonderfully as a topping for chicken breasts or as a base sauce for chicken parmesan. #spendwithpennies adding olives and capers with tomatoes and oil to make Puttanesca](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Puttanesca-SpendWithPennies-3-800x1200.jpg)
![A simple puttanesca sauce is just what you need to enhance your pasta dinner tonight. Penne, rigatoni, and spaghetti all pair wonderfully with this salty and flavorful sauce. It can also be used to top chicken breasts or as a base sauce for chicken parmesan. With its savory and classic Italian flavors, this sauce will elevate any meal. #spendwithpennies Puttanesca sauce in the pan](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Puttanesca-SpendWithPennies-4-800x1200.jpg)
How to Make Puttanesca Sauce
- Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil. Add capers and anchovies and cook.
- Squeeze whole tomatoes into the pan (discard the juices).
- Add crushed tomatoes and olives and simmer (recipe below).
- Season with salt and pepper and serve as desired.
![Why settle for plain spaghetti sauce when you can upgrade to flavorful puttanesca? This traditional Italian sauce blends salty and sweet ingredients like capers, anchovies, tomatoes, garlic, and olives, simmered in a rich tomato base. It pairs perfectly with pasta such as penne or rigatoni, and also makes a delicious topping for chicken parmesan. Elevate your meal with this classic, savory sauce. #spendwithpennies Puttanesca with a spoon and fork](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Puttanesca-SpendWithPennies-7.jpg)
Storing Puttanesca
Keep leftover puttanesca sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze portions in zippered bags for up to one month.
Italian-Inspired Favorites
Did you enjoy this Puttanesca Recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
![bowl of Puttanesca](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Puttanesca-SpendWithPennies-6-220x220.jpg)
Puttanesca
Puttanesca is a savory Italian sauce made with tomatoes, anchovies, capers, garlic, and olives, perfect for pairing with pasta.
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is tender. Add the capers and anchovy and cook for 2 minutes more.
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Remove the whole tomatoes from the can one by one and squeeze the tomatoes into the pan to break them up, discard the juices (or reserve to add to soup). Add the crushed tomatoes and olives. Simmer uncovered for about 6 to 8 minutes or until thickened.
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Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
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Toss with cooked pasta and garnish with parmesan cheese if desired.
Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Nutritional information is for sauce only.
Calories: 131 | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 577mg | Potassium: 505mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 446IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
![Don't settle for the same spaghetti sauce when you can upgrade to this flavorful puttanesca. This traditional Italian sauce combines salty and sweet ingredients like capers, anchovies, tomatoes, garlic, and olives, simmered in a rich tomato sauce. It pairs perfectly with pasta such as penne or rigatoni, and can even be used as a delicious topping for chicken parmesan. Elevate your meal with this classic, savory sauce. #spendwithpennies plated Puttanesca with a title](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NP-Puttanesca-SpendWithPennies-.jpg)
![Puttanesca is a deeply flavorful sauce ideal for topping pasta dishes. Spoon it over penne, rigatoni, or spaghetti noodles. This classic Italian sauce features a tomato base simmered with anchovies, capers, garlic, olives, and savory seasonings. Easy to cook and incredibly delicious, it’s a fantastic addition to any meal. #spendwithpennies close up of zesty Puttanesca with writing](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SP-Puttanesca-SpendWithPennies-2.jpg)
![For a deeply flavorful sauce, try this simple puttanesca recipe. It combines anchovies, capers, garlic, olives, and savory seasonings, all simmered with a tomato base. This classic Italian sauce is perfect with penne, rigatoni, or spaghetti noodles. It also works wonderfully as a topping for chicken breasts or as a base sauce for chicken parmesan. #spendwithpennies bowl of easy to make Puttanesca with a title](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SP-Puttanesca-SpendWithPennies-3.jpg)
![A simple puttanesca sauce is just what you need to enhance your pasta dinner tonight. Penne, rigatoni, and spaghetti all pair wonderfully with this salty and flavorful sauce. It can also be used to top chicken breasts or as a base sauce for chicken parmesan. With its savory and classic Italian flavors, this sauce will elevate any meal. #spendwithpennies Puttanesca in a bowl and close up with a title](https://www.spendwithpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/LP-Puttanesca-SpendWithPennies-.jpg)
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