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In these work-from-home, social distancing days, there’s nothing better than putting together a delicious, comforting dinner with what you have in the pantry. Pasta Puttanesca fits the bill nicely. It’s a flexible and forgiving recipe: Although spaghetti is traditional, you can use any kind of pasta, and if you don’t have an ingredient, you can leave it out, although olives and capers are pretty much de rigueur.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 4 Serving(s)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3–4 anchovy fillets, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoons capers
- ½ cup chopped black or Kalamata olives
- Several whole basil leaves
- 1 pound dry pasta
- Garnish: 5–6 basil leaves, cut in chiffonade, or ¼ cup chopped parsley
Preparation
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and anchovy. Stir and sauté 1 more minute. Add the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Stir in the red pepper flakes, capers, olives and basil leaves. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl.
Remove the basil leaves from the sauce, thin sauce if needed with a little of the pasta water and pour a good amount of the sauce over the pasta, reserving the rest. Toss the pasta and sauce together and garnish with basil or parsley. Pass the remaining sauce at the table to be added as desired.
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