Pasta Puttanesca: Olives at the Heart
A pantry pasta built on olives, capers, anchovy and tomato — salty, savoury and ready in the time it takes to boil the water.
What goes in
Puttanesca is a Neapolitan classic that asks for almost nothing fresh. For two: gently warm 3 tbsp olive oil with 2 sliced garlic cloves, 3–4 anchovy fillets and a pinch of chilli until the anchovy melts. Add a tin of tomatoes, a handful of pitted black olives (Gaeta or Kalamata), 1 tbsp capers, and simmer 12–15 minutes. Toss with spaghetti and a little pasta water.
Why the olives matter
The olives aren’t a garnish here — they’re the backbone, carrying the briny, savoury depth the whole dish leans on. Use a real, firm cured olive, not the bland canned “black ripe” kind; Gaeta or Kalamata bring fruit and salt in balance. Finish with a raw drizzle of good olive oil off the heat.
Puttanesca is usually served without grated cheese — the anchovy, olives and capers already give all the salt and savour it needs. Taste before you add salt to the sauce; the olives and capers do most of that work for you.
A olives101 kitchen note.