Spaghetti alla puttanesca
Naples' larder pasta: tomatoes, black Gaeta olives, capers, garlic and chilli, with anchovy as Rome makes it. Loud, quick and cheese-free.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- Medium heat
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Puttanesca is made from things an Italian kitchen always has: tinned tomatoes, black olives, salted capers, garlic, dried chilli and, in the Roman version, anchovies melted into the oil. Everything is strong, so the skill is balance. Rinse the capers so they bring perfume rather than salt. Melt the anchovies in the oil over gentle heat until they dissolve, add garlic and chilli, then the tomatoes, and cook just until the sauce thickens. Olives and capers go in near the end so they keep their character. Toss the spaghetti in the pan and finish with parsley; there is no cheese. Done is a glossy red sauce, salty, briny and hot, clinging to every strand.
What you'll need
10 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Pasta, spaghetti360 g
- Plum tomatoes, tinned peeled, crushed by hand400 g
- Black olives, Gaeta olives, pitted and halved80 g
- Capers, salted, rinsed22 ml
- Garlic, sliced2 clove
- Fresh chilli, dried peperoncino, crumbled1 small
- Olive oil, extra virgin59 ml
- Parsley, flat-leaf, chopped1 handful
- Salt, for the water4.9 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Warm the oil with the anchovies over low heat, pressing them until they melt. Add garlic and chilli and cook until the garlic is pale gold.
4 min
Step 2
Add the tomatoes and simmer until thickened, about 12 minutes. Stir in the olives and capers for the last 3 minutes.
12 min
Step 3
Boil the spaghetti in lightly salted water, drain 1 minute early and finish it in the sauce with a splash of cooking water. Toss with parsley and serve.
11 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 272 kcal
- Protein
- 7.2 g
- Carbs
- 29.6 g
- Fat
- 14.3 g
- Saturated fat
- 2.2 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 3.7 g
- Sodium
- 505 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Fish
- Pescatarian
- Dairy-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Gaeta olives → Kalamata olives
Fruitier and a little stronger; use slightly fewer.
Tips
- Salt the pasta water lightly: anchovies, capers and olives are all salty.
- Gaeta olives are small, purple-black and mild; Kalamata are the nearest swap.
History & culture
Naples cooks it without anchovies and with oregano; Rome and Lazio add anchovies. Both make it in the time it takes to boil the pasta, which is the point: it is a late-evening, nothing-in-the-fridge dish, on trattoria menus as 'alla puttanesca' and at home as dinner when the shops are shut.
Spaghetti with olives, capers and anchovies appears in a nineteenth-century Neapolitan cookbook, but the name came later, in the years after the Second World War. One story credits a restaurateur on Ischia, told by late customers to throw together 'any old thing'; the name is cheeky Neapolitan slang, and the dish took it happily.
Traditional — The Roman version with anchovies. Leave them out and add a pinch of oregano for the Neapolitan one.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Spaghetti alla puttanesca take?
30 min all in — 10 min prep, 20 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
Medium heat.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Fish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Pescatarian, Dairy-free.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Frying pan, Saucepan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp (for the water).
What can I use instead?
Gaeta olives → Kalamata olives. Fruitier and a little stronger; use slightly fewer.
Any tips from this recipe?
Salt the pasta water lightly: anchovies, capers and olives are all salty. Gaeta olives are small, purple-black and mild; Kalamata are the nearest swap.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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