If I’m going to talking about classic Italian sauces this week, I can’t ignore one of my very favorites: puttanesca sauce. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE puttanesca. It’s spicy. It’s tangy. It’s fresh-tasting. And it cooks up in about 20 minutes. It’s uncomplicated heaven.

If you haven’t made puttanesca sauce before, please just follow the recipe– even if you think you hate anchovies. The anchovies in this recipes dissolve right into the sauce (there are NO chunks of it), and have zero fishy flavor. They just give the sauce a unique richness and depth that tastes divine with the fresh parsley and tangy capers. You need all of these ingredients working together to make this recipe come off perfectly.

Makes enough to dress about one pound of pasta. Serve with crusty bread and a salad for a wonderfully fresh-tasting summer meal.

Quick and Easy Pasta Puttanesca Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lg. onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 whole anchovy fillets
1/3 C. dry red wine
1 (32 oz.) can whole tomatoes, drained
1/2 - 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2/3 C. oil-cured black olives, pitted
1/4 C. drained capers (you can put less if you don’t love them)
1/4 C. chopped fresh Italian parsley

Instructions: In a large skillet, cook the onions and garlic in the oil until tender. Add anchovy fillets and cook until they dissolve away (you can push on them as they cook to help this process along).

Add the wine and let it boil mostly away.

Crush the tomatoes into the pan by hand. Add crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper.

Stir in olives and capers. Cook until sauce reaches your desired consistency (you’ll want to cook some of the liquid away), about 15-20 minutes.

Remove sauce from heat and stir in parsley. Serve over pasta and garnish with freshly shredded parmesan cheese.

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