Olive Free Pasta Puttanesca Recipe

I love me some pasta, and having a simple pasta sauce recipe that relies on very few ingredients is a winner year-round. This olive free pasta puttanesca sauce is one such sauce that I make again and again. It works for winter lunches when I need to make something quickly for me and the man. It also works as a quick and easy dinner during those hot summer months when you don’t want to be stood over the hob for too long.

Why olive free? I don’t like black olives, which the recipe traditionally calls for. And I also pump up the flavor with fresh tomatoes instead of canned.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

There are few ingredients needed for this olive free puttanesca pasta!

Pasta

Spaghetti is traditional, but I use whatever I have in the food cupboard.

Salt

To add flavor to the pasta. Any sort works – I use straight up table salt.

Olive Oil

Another cupboard staple, the one I use is Bertello?

Onion

I used white onion on this occasion, but any onion works.

Anchovies

Don’t skimp on these – this is the heart of all the tangy, tasty flavor!

Garlic

Four or five cloves adds enough flavor without overpowering the anchovies.

Tomatoes

I use fresh tomatoes, because I prefer to get my fresh veggies in as much as possible, but you can also use canned tomatoes if that’s all you have in the house!

Tomato Paste

Known to me as tomato puree, I use the Italian Mutti brand and add a touch more than I think it needs. Yum.

Capers

Delicious in anything that is fishy, I’d have used the whole jar if it wasn’t such a big one! Drain them before you add them, but do not rinse them! We want all the tang for this puttanesca sauce!

Pasta Water

It’s salty and starchy and works perfectly for loosening up the thick sauce. See substitutions if you don’t have the pasta water to use – I know I’m not the only one to drain the pasta, forgetting to set some aside first!

Specific Ingredient Amounts

• Pasta
• Salt
• Olive oil
• ½ onion finely chopped
• 10 anchovies
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 large fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp capers, drained
• 1 cup pasta water
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Substitutions To Consider

Anchovies: For those who really don’t like anchovies, you could use a can of sardines in tomato sauce.

Tomatoes: If you don’t have fresh, you can use canned. Just avoid the ones that have herbs or garlic added in.

Pasta Water: If you forgot to set some aside, red wine works well too!

Making The Olive Free Pasta Puttanesca Recipe

Ok, we’re ready to create this super tasty and tangy puttanesca sauce!

Step 1: Start by filling a saucepan with water and bringing it to the boil. Add in some salt and then enough pasta for two people. My go to is a handful of dried pasta per person, and one for the pot. It works. Leave the pasta to cook and set a timer for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Add the freshly chopped tomato chunks followed by the capers one minute later and stir to combine.

Step 4: Add the tomato paste. Allow to gently simmer for a minute, and then add in a cup of pasta water.

Step 5: The sauce can now simmer until the pasta is cooked. Drain the pasta and pop it into the pan of sauce and stir to evenly coat it.

Step 6: Divide your puttanesca pasta into two bowls and enjoy!

Things to Note

I don’t enjoy black olives so always leave them out, but you can add some into yours if you like them. I also don’t add any herbs to my Puttanesca sauce, because I like it to be all about the anchovies and capers, but if you wanted extra flavor, adding in dried mixed Italian herbs would work.

Serve It With…

I like to eat mine just as it comes, but in the summer months I have eaten it with a side salad. In the winter months a thick slice of my freshly baked bread spread with salted butter works well for mopping up any leftover sauce.