How to Make Pasta Puttanesca

By J. Kenji López-Alt · 20 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Put the spaghetti in a large pan, cover with water, add a small pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, combine 4 tablespoons (60 ml) of the oil, the garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat until the garlic is very lightly golden, about 5 minutes, keeping it gently sizzling. Add the capers and olives and stir.
3. Add the tomatoes, stir, and bring to a bare simmer. Keep simmering until the pasta is just under al dente, about 1 minute less than the package says.
4. Use tongs to move the pasta into the sauce. Or drain it, reserving 1 cup (240 ml) of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the sauce.
5. Add a few tablespoons of pasta water to the sauce and raise the heat to a vigorous simmer. Cook, stirring and shaking the pan and adding more pasta water as needed to keep the sauce loose, for 1 to 2 minutes more until the pasta is perfectly al dente. Stir in the remaining oil, the parsley and the cheese.
6. Season with pepper, and salt sparingly. If using, stir in the tuna and break it up with a fork. Serve right away with more cheese.

Summarized from J. Kenji López-Alt's video. Watch it for the details.

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