Pasta With Green Puttanesca
Updated March 12, 2025
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Salt
- 1pound spaghettini or spaghetti
- ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 10anchovy fillets
- ¼cup drained capers
- 1cup pitted and sliced green Cerignola or Picholine olives
- 10fat green garlic cloves, peeled, sliced ¼-inch thick or use 8 regular garlic cloves
- ⅓cup chopped scallions including greens
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 12cups baby spinach leaves (11 ounces)
- ½cup torn basil leaves
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
503 calories; 23 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 592 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is not quite al dente, 5 to 8 minutes. Reserve a cup of cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Step 2
While the pasta is cooking, warm ¼ cup oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the anchovies and capers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the capers start to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining ¼ cup oil, olives, garlic, scallions and red-pepper flakes; increase heat to high if using green garlic (leave it at medium-high for regular garlic) and cook until garlic is golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pasta and toss for 1 minute. Add a splash of pasta cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Season with salt, if necessary. Toss in the basil leaves.
Private Notes
Comments
To even further simplify: if you're in a hurry, don't start with olive oil by itself. You can use anchovies that are already canned with capers and just dump the entire tin's content along with the anchovy-flavored olive oil from the tin. If you use two tins, that actually works out perfectly, and no additional salt is needed.
Simple to make and a pleasant deviation from the normal weeknight pasta hodgepodge dish. Based on the ingredients list, I thought it would be quite pungent and salty but, all that mellows in the cooking process into a smooth, unique taste. if i were anybody who liked these ingredients, i'd give this a try. just a note: I julienned prosciutto and subbed it for the anchovies...and, I'd do it, again.
I love this recipe because it is satisfying without the need for cheese. I've served this twice to toddlers and they love it. I chop everything finely and it practically dissolves into a sauce that they think is great, but don't know what it is, and can't pick "stuff" out.
I made this on a camping trip (olives and capers do fine without refrigeration for a few days) and replaced the anchovy with Parmesan for the veg. Roughly chopped garlic and olives did not stick to the pasta well enough. So either use a textured pasta or a chopper to get the ingredients almost to a paste.
I love this recipe. Requires a little prep—washing veggies and chopping—but it still comes together really quickly with max flavor payoff. It’s grassy and vegetal from the olive oil and greens, but bold and salty too. There’s not much opportunity for me to overcook the pasta, so it almost always comes out with the perfect chewy, carby bite.
I’ve made this multiple times over the years and make it just as written - I use regular garlic. It’s one of our favorite dishes and so easy! I wouldn’t change a thing!