Spaghetti Puttanesca Recipe: Bold Italian Pasta Classic 2026

Spaghetti alla puttanesca is one of Italy's most beloved pasta dishes, and it comes together with just a handful of pantry staples. A garlicky tomato sauce is enriched with anchovies, black olives, capers and a touch of chili, then tossed with spaghetti for a plate that is salty, briny and deeply savory.

The sauce takes only about fifteen minutes on the stove, which means this is a perfect weeknight dinner that still tastes like a trattoria classic. Salty anchovies melt into the tomatoes and season everything, so you barely need any extra salt.

Serve it piping hot with a glass of red wine, and let the bold flavors of southern Italy do the rest.

Ingredients for Spaghetti Puttanesca

This makes 4 generous main-course servings.

• 400 g spaghetti
• 50 g pitted black olives (3 tablespoons)
• 2 or 3 small dried chilies (or more to taste)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 8 anchovy fillets
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 500 g crushed tomatoes
• Salt
• Ground black pepper

How to Make Spaghetti Puttanesca Step by Step

1. Chop the Aromatics and Olives

Start by preparing the puttanesca sauce. Cut 50 g of pitted black olives in half and slice 2 or 3 small chilies, using more if you enjoy heat and can tolerate it well. Slice 2 garlic cloves thinly and roughly chop 8 anchovy fillets.

2. Sauté the Garlic and Chilies

Pour 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a skillet over low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and chilies and sauté gently for 1 minute, taking care not to let the garlic burn.

3. Add the Anchovies, Capers and Olives

Next, stir in the anchovies, 2 tablespoons of capers and the olives. Cook everything together for 3 minutes so the flavors meld, always keeping a close eye on the garlic since burning it would ruin the dish with an unpleasant bitter taste.

4. Add the Tomatoes and Simmer the Sauce

Now add 500 g of crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, being careful not to oversalt since the anchovies are already salty. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes so the tomato water evaporates and the sauce becomes thick, concentrated and nicely spicy.

5. Cook the Spaghetti Al Dente

While the sauce finishes cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. When it boils, add 400 g of spaghetti, lower the heat slightly and cook for the time indicated on the package so they turn out al dente, which took 10 minutes here. Once cooked, drain them.

6. Toss the Pasta with the Sauce

Now all that is left is to mix the cooked spaghetti well with the puttanesca sauce and plate it up.

7. Serve Immediately

Optionally, garnish each plate with a little parsley if you like, and serve right away to enjoy this tasty dish freshly made. You can also accompany the spaghetti with some Parmesan cheese to taste. The original recipe does not include cheese (Italian pasta prepared with fish does not include it), although in other regions it is common to serve all pasta dishes with cheese, so this is left to your choice.

Tips for the Best Spaghetti Puttanesca

Watch the Garlic Closely

Garlic can go from golden to bitter in seconds, so keep the heat low while it infuses the oil. If it starts to brown too quickly, pull the skillet off the heat for a moment before continuing.

Let the Sauce Thicken

Simmering the crushed tomatoes for a full 10 minutes drives off excess water and concentrates the flavor. A thicker sauce clings to the spaghetti far better than a watery one, so don't rush this stage.

Season with Care

Anchovies and capers already bring plenty of salt to the pan, so taste the sauce before adding more. A final grind of black pepper adds a gentle warmth that balances the briny, spicy notes.

30 Favorite Recipes I Keep Coming Back to at Home

Maybe you're a lot like me and like having a stash of cozy comfort dishes, tried-and-true international favorites, and desserts that please a crowd.

On nights when I'm after something indulgent and rich, my picks tend to be this La Viña Molten Cheesecake recipe, this refined Original French Crème Brûlée recipe, or a luscious Chocolate Mousse Cake recipe. And whenever a fruity, comforting dessert is calling my name, this timeless French Tarte Tatin recipe is the one I reach for.

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Even More Tasty Recipes to Cook for the Family

After years of testing and tweaking recipes in my own kitchen, I've come to believe the greatest dishes are built on simplicity, dependable methods, and serious flavor.

The recipes gathered here are the ones I genuinely keep coming back to—whether I'm putting together a fast meal just for me or making something memorable for friends and family.

When dessert is on my mind, the rich, silky Orange Chocolate Mousse Recipe is a go-to for those times I want something elegant without much fuss. The caramelized Trdelnik Slavic Pastry Recipe, modeled on the well-known Central European chimney cake, is another sweet favorite. If baking is your thing, knowing how to make syrup for better dessert texture comes in handy, and my Inverted Sugar Recipe walks through exactly how I do it at home.

On days when I want something light and fresh, I'll usually make the timeless Italian Caprese Salad Recipe or a flawlessly cooked Simple Poached Egg Recipe. For comfort cooking with more heft, the filling Meatball Sandwich Recipe, the creamy Russian Stroganoff Beef Recipe, and the fast weeknight go-to One Pot Pasta Recipe are ones I recommend often.

I'm also a big fan of passing along dishes from kitchens around the world, such as the genuine Sorropotún de Bonito Fish Stew Recipe, crunchy Chilean Pumpkin Sopaipillas Recipe, and the traditional Spanish Cochifrito Segovian Fried Pig Recipe.

Air fryer cooking is another area I turn to often, since it cuts down on time without sacrificing texture. The ones I make most include Air Fryer Pork Ribs Recipe, Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Recipe, Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes Recipe, Air Fryer Baked Potatoes Recipe, Air Fryer Peppers Recipe, Air Fryer Mixed Sandwich Recipe, Air Fryer Toasted Bread Recipe, and Air Fryer Hard-Boiled Eggs Recipe.

And for those steering clear of wheat, my cozy Gluten-Free Lasagna Recipe shows that a classic baked pasta can still be indulgent, cheesy, and deeply comforting without any gluten.

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