Puttanesca sauce is one of those pasta sauces I truly love. I don’t have it often but when I need to empty the store cupboard and fridge, it’s usually on the menu.
It seems I always have the ingredients but I use them in other dishes. When the caper, olive and chilli supplies begin to dry up, however they are brought out to cook this penna pasta recipe.
Most Italian recipes are pretty easy. As tasty as they may be, there isn’t usually a lot to them. Their deliciousness is in their simplicity.
Even the most novice of chefs can cook up a good puttanesca sauce.
In Italy, where they have so many amazing food markets and delis, I use the best, freshest ingredients I can find for this recipe. Here I tend to use up what I have. I hate waste.
Why use penna pasta for this recipe?
Penne is a very popular pasta all over the world.
It is available both with a smooth and ribbed surface as shown in this penne pasta recipe. Personally I prefer the ribbed surface for my recipes.
The cylindrical shape of the pasta along with the ribbed edges allows the pasta to adhere to the sauce. Not only that, the sauce gets into the center making every mouthful amazing.
What makes the sauce a puttanesca sauce?
This penna pasta recipe is hugely popular for its simplicity. Sharp tasting ingredients like anchovies, capers, olives, garlic and tomatoes are all used.
You might think that with all those rather strong flavours, the sauce would be overpowering but it’s not. The Italians know their ingredients and how to use them!
If you like this recipe, you might also like to try some of these…
Italian style pan seared ribeye steaks
Nduja pasta
Spaghetti with lardo and artichokes
Pasta Bolognese
Pork pasta with paprika and garlic
Caprese salad
Penne alla Puttanesca
Ingredients
Instructions