The first time I heard of Pasta Puttanesca, was in the book Belong to Me by Maria de los Santos. (Fabulous book, by the way.) Something triggered my memory of the dish the other day and I decided to make it.
Oh my! This pasta is full of flavor! Garlic, tomatoes, olives, basil, Parmesan and anchovies all come together in a burst of taste. Please don’t leave because I said anchovies. They add so much flavor and you’ll never even know they’re in there. They disappear when cooked, leaving behind only a wonderful taste. Even your kids won’t know about it if you don’t tell them.
This dish is so quick to make. I pulled it together on a Sunday for lunch after church. It’s ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta.
Here’s what you’ll need:
I also used red onion, but that didn’t make the photo.
I will say that if you don’t like olives, this may not be the dish for you. There are a lot of olives, but they’re easy to pick out. Most families have an olive lover that would be more than willing to eat the extra.
Pasta Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 1 lb. angel hair pasta
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic crushed
- 6 anchovies
- 10 oz jar Kalamata olives chopped
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- Handful of fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and anchovies. Cook until onion is soft and anchovies have melted into the oil, about 5 minutes.
- Add olives, tomatoes and chicken broth to the skillet, cook 2-3 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Drain pasta and put it back in the empty cooking pot.
- Pour contents of the skillet over the pasta and toss.
- Add Parmesan and basil, lightly toss to combine.
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