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Linguine alla Puttanesca is a stunning, traditional Italian pasta dish that has a savory, briney flavor and is just so delicious. It honestly taste like something straight out of Italy (because it is). A light tomato sauce combines with capers, olives, sardines and a touch of white wine to create a sensational, sophisticated Italian dinner that can be made in less than 30 minutes. Save this recipe for spaghetti alla puttanesca post now so you can always find the recipe.

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When my grandmother died earlier this summer, I promised myself that I would begin working on more traditional Italian recipes to keep her memory alive to me and as a tribute to my heritage. Somewhere between the fall sports, work on the farm and all the other seasonal recipes I’m trying to create, I have not been as true to that promise as I hoped. This past weekend I was really craving pasta. More specifically, I was craving a more authentic pasta dish, like something she and I might have shared in Italy when we traveled there to spend time with family. I decided to make Linguine alla Puttanesca, which is a simple and yet stunning Italian dish that I know she would have loved as much as I did for our weekly Sunday Pasta night.

Where did Spaghetti alla Puttanesca originate?

If you have never heard of Puttanesca then you should know it can be referred to as Spaghetti alla Puttanesca or Linguine alla Puttanesca. It originated in Naples in, well, supposedly a brothel. “Puttana” in Italian means “prostitute” or “whore” and this dish was said to be a dish eaten between servicing clients. (My grandma would honestly get a kick out of this explanation.)

Although, apparently though Italians use the word “puttana” in the same way Americans might use the sh_t swear word. This leads some people think the dish originated when someone threw a bunch of pantry ingredients (sh__) into a pan and called it dinner. However, like most recipes that have been around for generations, there are variations of it throughout Italy and throughout the decades that have contained slight variations on the ingredients.

So what is Linguine alla Puttanesca?

Currently, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca – or in my case Linguine alla Puttanesca – is a dish that is made with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, olives, red pepper, crushed tomatoes, anchovies, capers and fresh herbs. I do also add a little white wine to my Linguine alla Puttanesca to balance the flavors a touch. However, those are considered the basic ingredients included in a pasta Puttanesca today.

The flavor of Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

The flavor of Puttanesca becomes this slightly briney, tomatoey taste that is truly something you would instantly recognize as a simple, elevated meal. It is a little spicy for the red pepper so just know that and make sure you are okay with spice. We like to pair it with some red wine so that helps to compliment and dull the spice.

I cannot even tell you how much it reminded me of some of the pasta dishes my grandmother and I enjoyed in Italy once upon a time. So for me there is a nostalgic longing in the flavor too. Isn’t it funny how sometimes food can connect us through time and space in a way that nothing else can?

The correct ingredients to use

For the Linguine alla Puttanesca, the ingredients are simple but you need to make sure you are using the correct ones in order to have the flavors in the dish work.

Whole Tomatoes

The recipe calls for 28 oz of whole tomatoes. These can be fresh tomatoes or they can be canned. I honestly prefer to use canned because it includes a little bit of the tomato broth in the can too. They do get crushed into the “sauce” throughout the cooking process. If you want to use fresh tomatoes, you can. However, note that you will need to add a teaspoon or two of tomato paste (to taste) and then about 1/2 cup of salty pasta water. This will not be included in the recipe instructions below since it is a deviation but just keep that in mind.

Extra virgin olive oil

I often talk A LOT about using a high quality extra virgin olive oil in my recipes. It just makes the flavor of everything better. However, it is especially important when you are making something like spaghetti alla puttanesca if you want to get the flavors of this traditional dish to be more exact. Try to look for something that actually comes from Italy or even Spain. World Market tends to have a lot of nice options in the U.S.

Garlic

Garlic is only said to be included in some regions’ versions of Puttanesca but we are including it here. I roughly mince it so there are still small pieces of it in the pan to flavor everything nicely and scoop up on your fork.

Red pepper

I use crushed red pepper flakes in my Linguine alla Puttanesca because they are easy to find and flavor the dish nicely. I have seen some versions of the recipe that use this and some that do not. However, I really love the flavor profile in creates and it is more common for dishes in Southern Italy to be a tad spicer than the Northern part of the country.

Course sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

These are added to the pan right at the start of the recipe and help to flavor everything straight away. Make sure to use coarse sea salt as it flavors better and fresh cracked black pepper versus table pepper.

Black olives

The olives in the dish add a lovely bit of brine to the pasta and I generally use black olives. These are often served in spaghetti alla puttanesca whole but I like to cut some in half to release the flavor a little more. Use olives pack in olive if you can find them versus water.

Capers

Gosh I love capers. I could probably eat them with everything. They really add to the overall salty and brine of the dish. Make sure to again find the capers packed in olive oil. (I don’t even know if they make them packed in something else?) The higher quality, the better.

Anchovies

Anchovies truly pull so many of the flavors together to give the Linguine alla Puttanesca that nostalgic, authentic flavor I was talking about. Southern Italy tends to use a lot more fish in their cooking so it makes sense the flavor would be in the dish. However, these really tend to melt into the sauce. I minced the filets and I could not pick them out at all when the dish was completed.

Pasta

You may have noticed that I alternated between using spaghetti alla puttanesca and linguine alla puttanesca. Both noodles will work to create this recipe. You can even use bucatini or fettuccini. Mostly commonly, spaghetti and linguine are used. However, any long cut pasta noodle will work.

White wine

I mentioned I use a little white wine in my sauce and I love the way it helps to pull the Linguine alla Puttanesca together. That said, you can leave this out if you do not want to use it. If you have no issues using wine in cooking I do recommend it to round out the flavors and provide a little balance to the heat from the red pepper.

Fresh herbs

It would not be an Italian dish without using some fresh herbs to finish the dish. I use oregano, basil and Italian parsley. Do not skip these. They really create a lovely, bright bit on the fork with all the other flavors. You can find all my measurements in the recipe below.

Romano or Parmesan cheese

I like to top each dish off individually with a little cheese but it is not necessary if you prefer to eat the dish without it.

The cold cooking process

This whole meal only takes about 20 minutes to make. The extra virgin olive oil, garlic anchovies, red pepper flakes, capers, sea salt and pepper are all added to the cold pan. Adding these ingredient to the cold pan and allowing everything to heat together. This helps everything cook together more slowly and allows the flavor to infuse into the extra virgin olive oil more. Once everything is heated, the other ingredients are added and the sauce simmers to finish. The full recipe with all the steps is below.

Looking for more European inspired dishes?

If you love European inspired dishes like my Linguine alla Puttanesca, try these European inspired recipes too.

Pesto alla Trapanese {HERE}
Pasta alla Vodka {HERE}
White Wine French Braised Leeks {HERE}
Lemon Carbonara {HERE}
French Potato Salad {HERE}
Classic French Bistro Salad {HERE}
Parmesan and Spinach Orzo {HERE}
Lemon Zucchini Pizza {HERE}
Easy Chicken Piccata {HERE}
Braised Beef Ragu {HERE}

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope you love my Linguine alla Puttanesca. You can find a full, printable recipe below for the spaghetti alla puttanesca with all the ingredients and steps. Happy eating.

Linguine alla Puttanesca

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Italian, Italian American

Keyword: linguine alla puttanesca, pasta puttanesca, puttanesca, spaghetti alla puttanesca

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 25

Servings: servings

Author: Rachel

Equipment

Large, 17 inch saute pan

Ingredients

16 - 18 oz linguine or spaghetti, cooked I used fresh pasta and used 18 oz. If you are using dry use 16 oz.
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt for the pasta water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves fresh garlic, roughly chopped
4 anchovy filets, minced
2 tbsp capers
1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes Base this on your preference for spice
1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
A few twists of fresh cracked black pepper
1/8 cup dry white wine
28 oz whole canned tomatoes in the juice
1 1/2 -2 cups black olives I add about 1 cup of whole olives and 1/2 cup sliced olives. If you want to use all whole, use 2 cups.
3 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
3 tbsp fresh chopped basil
1/8 cup fresh chopped parsley
Fresh grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Before you begin the sauce, start your pasta water boiling with about 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt. Cook per package directions and set aside if this is done prior to the sauce being done.
In a cold pan, add the extra virgin olive oil, garlic, anchovies, capers, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Turn the heat on medium and let everything warm together for about 2 and a half minutes. Continuously stir once everything begins to sizzle to avoid over browning.
Add in the white wine and continue to simmer over low to medium. Let it simmer until about half the liquid has evaporated. Then add the tomatoes. Once they are in the pan, use a wooden spoon to crush them up a little.
Next add the olives. Then turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. I like to go back and continue to crush the tomatoes with my wooden spoon as the sauce cooks.
When the time is up, turn off the heat and add the pasta and mix well with tongs. Top with the fresh herbs to serve and the Romano cheese.