This is an easy and quick weeknight meal that's mostly pantry ingredients. It's ready in about a half hour, and is also perfect as a blank canvas for fun additions. I like mine with preserved lemon, biquinho peppers, canned tuna, and butter (served in my well-loved and oft-repaired bowls). Experiment and find your favorite!

Pasta Puttanesca

Author
Christian Leue
Servings
2-3
Category
Dinner

Ingredients

  • Salt
  • Optional, 1 bay leaf
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil - or for a deeper fish flavor use the oil from the can
  • 1/3 cup fresh onion, finely chopped
  • 2 anchovy fillets, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • Peperoncini, Chili Flakes, or Espelette, depending on how hot you like it, start with 1/4 tsp
  • 1 tsp Riviera Herbs
  • 1 Tbsp salt packed capers, rinsed or 1 Tbsp pickled capers, drained
  • 1 tsp preserved lemon peel, minced
  • 2 Tbsp pickled biquinho peppers* (if you can't find these feel free to sub any mild pickled pepper)
  • 1 small can of olive oil-packed tuna, drained
  • 1/2 pound dry pasta (fettuccine, bucatini, etc.)
  • Optional, 2 tsp unsalted butter

Directions

  1. Start heating 4 quarts of water and 1 1/2 tablespoons of sea salt (use 3 tablespoons if using a light and flaky kosher salt) in a large covered pot. Optionally add a dried bay leaf.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the onion, cooking for 3-4 minutes (until soft and translucent). Add the anchovies, minced garlic, and tomato paste, and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring until well combined and fragrant. You can add a small splash of water if it clumps up on you.
  3. Add the tomatoes, chili flakes, Riviera Herbs, capers, lemon peel, biquinho peppers, and tuna and bring the sauce to a simmer. Give everything a gentle stir and adjust your heat as necessary to maintain a simmer.
  4. By now your water should be boiling. Go ahead and add your pasta and stir well.
  5. By the time your pasta is done cooking the sauce should be nicely thickened. Drain the pasta (discarding the bay leaf if you added one), reserving a cup of pasta water.
  6. At this point, optionally stir 2 tsp of butter into the sauce, it will thicken it lightly and give it a great texture. It's especially great with the tuna, peppers, and lemon.
  7. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir well to coat, thinning the sauce if necessary with a bit of pasta water.

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