Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 7oz spaghetti (, or other long pasta)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (, plus more for drizzling)
• 2 garlic cloves (, finely minced (knife, not garlic press))
• 3 anchovy fillets (, finely minced (Note 1))
• 1/4 cup pitted black olives (, preferably in oil, quartered (Note 2))
• 1 tbsp capers (, drained (Note 3))
• 1/4 tsp chilli flakes ((red pepper flakes))
• 14oz can crushed tomato ((or hand crush whole canned tomatoes))
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp fresh oregano (, roughly chopped (sub 1/4 tsp dried))
• 1/8 tsp kosher / cooking salt ((or 2 pinches table salt))
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sugar (, if needed (depends on tomato quality, Note 4))
• 2 tbsp fresh basil (, roughly chopped (Note 6))

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, ready for the spaghetti.
2. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and cook the finely minced garlic for about 15 seconds until it just starts to turn golden.
3. Add the finely minced anchovy fillets, drained capers, quartered pitted black olives and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute, stirring as the anchovy melts into the oil.
4. Tip in the crushed tomato, then swirl the ½ cup of water around the empty can and pour that into the skillet too.
5. Stir in the oregano, kosher salt and black pepper, bring the sauce to a simmer, then cook it over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the tomato has broken down into a sauce, adding the sugar only if the tomato tastes sharp.
6. Meanwhile add the spaghetti to the boiling water with 2 teaspoons of salt and cook it following the packet directions, scooping out a mugful of its cooking water just before you drain it.
7. Add the drained spaghetti straight into the sauce with about ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water and toss it over low heat for 1 minute until the sauce clings to the strands rather than pooling in the pan, loosening with more cooking water if it dries out.
8. Serve the spaghetti alla puttanesca at once in warmed bowls, drizzled with a little more olive oil and sprinkled with the roughly chopped basil.

Prep: 5 min · Cook: 15 min · Total: 20 min

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data