Puttanesca is the loudest sauce in the Italian pantry — and that’s entirely the point. Whole canned tomatoes, anchovies, capers, olives, and a serious amount of garlic cook down in one skillet in about 25 minutes into something thick, pungent, and deeply savory —the kind of sauce that fills your kitchen with a smell that pulls people in from other rooms.

A plate of spaghetti topped with chunky puttanesca sauce, olives, herbs, and grated cheese sits on a beige dish. A fork is twirling some pasta. Other bowls with sauce and toppings are visible in the background.
Spaghetti is the classic partner, but puttanesca sauce is just as good on rigatoni or bucatini.

Growing up in a Southern Italian household, I learned early that a great red sauce is never shy. Puttanesca is the embodiment of the classic Italian pasta recipes my family loves — it does not whisper. The anchovies, capers, and olives each bring something loud and unapologetic to the pot, and that’s exactly what makes this sauce worth knowing by heart.

The non-negotiable ingredients

An open can of tomatoes on a tray, surrounded by small dishes with green olives, tomato paste, crushed red chili, olive oil, garlic and parsley.
  • Anchovies: Anchovies have a place of honor in a puttanesca. They dissolve completely into the hot oil and contribute a deep, savory backbone that you’d never identify as fishy — they just make the tomatoes and olives taste more intensely like themselves. I tested a batch without them once, and the sauce tasted flat in comparison. Always use oil-packed fillets; anchovy paste tends to have a metallic edge that carries through in a quick-cooking sauce like this.
  • Capers: Capers add a sharp, pickled punch that cuts through the richness of the olive oil and tomatoes. In puttanesca sauce, they’re doing a different job than the anchovies, and both are necessary. I prefer capers packed in brine over salt-packed. Salt-packed ones are firmer and more intensely flavored, but they require thorough rinsing or they will make the entire sauce aggressively salty. If your capers are larger than a peppercorn, chop them roughly so they distribute more evenly through the sauce.
  • Canned tomatoes: For a rich, thick sauce that cooks quickly, use high-quality whole peeled tomatoes, such as San Marzano-style tomatoes (they don’t necessarily have to be grown in Italy). Drain off the excess water in a strainer, then crush them with your hands or use a potato masher to produce a chunky texture.
  • Crushed red pepper: The heat in puttanesca is part of its character, so this is not a sauce that should be timid. I use a full teaspoon because I want to feel it, but a half teaspoon gives you warmth without full-on spice. What I found during testing is that the chili goes in at the very start with the anchovy, which means it blooms in the oil and becomes a deeper, more integrated heat rather than a sharp top-note. If you reduce the chili, you can compensate with an extra pinch of black pepper to keep the sauce from tasting flat.

Make thick, spicy puttanesca sauce

  • A strainer full of canned plum tomatoes on top of a bowl.
    1. The drained tomatoes should look dense and deeply red — no watery pool at the bottom of the bowl.
  • A bowl of crushed tomatoes and a small dish with sliced green olives.
    2. Rustic uneven chunks are better than a smooth puree — they’ll give the sauce texture.
  • A skillet with olive oil, red chili flakes, anchovies and capers.
    3. Everything goes in cold — starting in cool oil lets the anchovy dissolve gently without burning.
  • A skillet with olive oil in it with anchovies and capers.
    4. The oil will look slightly hazy and smell savory and toasty — that’s your cue to move on.
  • Olive oil in a skillet with chopped olives, tomato paste, crushed garlic and capers.
    5. The tomato paste should turn a shade darker in about 30 seconds — that’s the color and flavor you want.
  • A skillet with crushed tomatoes, green olives and olive oil with a wood spoon on the side.
    6. After 15 minutes the sauce should hold its shape on a spoon — if not, give it another 5 minutes.
A white pot filled with chunky puttanesca sauce brimming with green olives and capers, as a wooden spoon lifts some of the savory mixture.
5 from 16 ratings

Classic Puttanesca Pasta Sauce

Karen Tedesco
A bold, chunky Italian tomato sauce made with whole canned tomatoes, anchovies, capers, and olives. Ready in 25 minutes, makes enough sauce for a pound of dried pasta.
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Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 28-ounce can (795 g) whole tomatoes
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 3-4 oil-packed anchovies, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) capers, rinsed and drained
  • ½-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) pressed or grated garlic, 4-5 cloves
  • 1 tablespoons (15 g) tomato paste
  • ⅓ cup green or black olives (such as Castelvetrano or Gaeta), pitted and halved
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or basil

Equipment

  • 10-inch saute pan

Instructions
 

  1. Empty the can of tomatoes into a mesh colander set over a bowl — this will drain off excess water. Discard the water and add the tomatoes to the bowl. Crush them with your hands or use a potato masher or wooden spoon. Set the bowl aside.
  2. Add ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 3-4 oil-packed anchovies, 2 tablespoons capers, and ½-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper to a 10-12-inch saute pan or skillet and place over medium-high heat. Cook until the anchovies break down easily with a spoon and the capers begin to sizzle, about 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in 2 tablespoons pressed or grated garlic and 1 tablespoons tomato paste. Cook another 30 seconds to one minute, just until the garlic is aromatic. Add the reserved drained tomatoes, ⅓ cup green or black olives (such as Castelvetrano or Gaeta) and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
  4. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened. Add the parsley and serve over hot cooked pasta.

Notes

  • About olives: Black olives such as kalamata olives or gaeta are traditional in puttanesca. But they can taste pretty strong to my palate. That’s why I prefer plump green olives such as Castelvetrano. They are sweet, meaty and so delicious in pasta sauce. 
  • To store the sauce, pack into jars or other airtight container and refrigerate up to a week or freeze one month.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 271kcal Carbohydrates: 29g Protein: 6g Fat: 15g Sodium: 259mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 1g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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