Pasta Puttanesca

2.7 from 6 ratings

I can already hear the naysayers asking, "Why isn't your sauce red?" Despite being aesthetically challenged, this pasta dish is delicious, I assure you. I used some particularly ripe black olives that ended up giving the sauce a deep, rich flavor and also gave it a forebodingly inky color that, admittedly, gave me a bit of pause at first. However, one bite and I was sold — the sauce coated the pasta perfectly and had a nice balance of flavors. Briny capers, tangy fresh tomatoes, herbaceous parsley, and a slight bitter finish from the olives — perfection. Your sauce will be redder than mine, though, if you're using different (or less ripe) olives. I used Gaeta, a popular table olive in Spain. Feel free to get creative. Oh, one more thing: I'd go easy on the salt because there's plenty already from the capers and olives. Click here to see Fast and Furious Dinner Recipes — 20 Minutes or Less.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

kosher salt, to taste
1 pound linguine
2 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of red chile pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
4 large tomatoes, cored and chopped roughly
1/4 cup capers
1/2 cup chopped, pitted black olives
1 cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the linguine and cook for half the recommended amount of time in the package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized saucepot, cook the anchovies in the oil over medium heat until dissolved. Place the tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor and process until fairly smooth.
Add the red chile pepper flakes and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the capers, olives, and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. (The sauce will be thin but flavorful.) Add the parsley and pasta and heat through. Serve garnished with parsley.