Italian Spaghetti Puttanesca! An iconic Italian pasta dish with tomato sauce, olives, and capers! *This puttanesca recipe is cooked without anchovies and is therefore vegan.

vegan spaghetti puttanesca on a plate
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Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, literally translated as “whore style” spaghetti, is a classic Italian pasta dish. The origin of the name remains unclear. However, the most common (or popularโ€ฆ? ๐Ÿ˜‰) explanation so far is that prostitutes in the 1950s in southern Italy are said to have cooked this pasta between โ€œappointmentsโ€ because it is so quick and easy to prepare. Or perhaps because the convincing smell attracted potential customers from the streets ๐Ÿ˜‰.

Delicious, the dish certainly is. And doubtfully, this vegan Puttanesca sauce is cooked in no time with pantry staples.

vegan puttanesca sauce served with spaghetti

Puttanesca sauce is a type of tomato sauce that is enhanced with olives, capers, and anchovy fillets. But in this recipe, you’ll learn how to cook a vegan Spaghetti alla Puttanesca – without anchovies!

To still provide that umami flavor, anchovy fillets are replaced with a teaspoon of miso paste. However, it is not mandatory to use miso paste. So if you don’t have any at home, you don’t have to buy a jar of it just for this dish. Instead, simply season the sauce with a little more salt or a pinch of nutritional yeast!

Otherwise, the olives and capers already provide enough flavor!

Ingredients

See recipe card for quantities.

Spaghetti Puttanesca Ingredients
  • Spaghetti โ†’ For gluten-free puttanesca, use gluten-free pasta (I love Barillas’s gluten-free spaghetti).
  • Tomato Passata โ†’ Use a high-quality tomato passata (I love the one from Mutti – this tastes very aromatic and intense). It can be replaced by chopped or whole canned, but it makes the sauce less intense.
  • Olives โ†’ It tastes best with high-quality Kalamata olives, which give the sauce a beautiful salty note. Go for pitted olives to make your life easier. ๐Ÿ˜‰
  • Capers โ†’ Capers simply belong in a Pasta Puttanesca!
  • Miso Paste (optional) โ†’ The vegan umami substitute for anchovies. Optional, as you don’t have to buy a jar of miso paste extra for a serving of pasta. Otherwise, season with a little more salt or stir some yeast flakes into the sauce!
  • Garlic โ†’ Provides flavor! 
  • Red Chili Flakes (optional) โ†’ Adds a wonderful mild spice! ๐Ÿ˜‰
  • Olive Oil โ†’ go for a high-quality extra virgin olive oil!
  • Basil & Oregano โ†’ These two herbs simply belong in an Italian pasta dish!

Instructions

This visual step-by-step instruction will help you along the way โ€“ definitely recommended if you’re a cooking beginner! The exact quantities and everything else you need to know for the recipe can be found in the recipe card below.

  • Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salt water until al dente. Drain over a sieve.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil. Add garlic, olives, capers, and chili flakes, sautรฉ for 3 minutes until fragrant.
  • Stir in tomato passata and dried oregano.

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Puttanesca Sauce Step 1-2
  • Let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with miso paste, salt, and black pepper.
Puttanesca Recipe Step-3
  • โ€‹โ€‹Add drained pasta to the sauce and toss for one minute. Sprinkle with fresh basil and, if you like, this vegan parmesan cheese.
Puttanesca Recipe Step-4

Hint: If the sauce thickens too much, add some pasta water.

Storage

Store cooked spaghetti in an airtight container in the fridge. Good for 3 days. Reheat in a skillet with some water or in the microwave.

I don’t recommend freezing the noodles!

More Italian Pasta Recipes

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5 from 1 vote

Vegan Spaghetti Puttanesca

Italian Spaghetti Puttanesca! An iconic Italian pasta dish with tomato sauce, olives, and capers!
Servings: 2
calories :556kcal
Prep :5 minutes
Cook :15 minutes
Total :20 minutes

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Plus, enjoy weekly doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!

Ingredients
 
 

Puttanesca Sauce

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • ยฝ cup stoned kalamata olives, sliced
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • ยผ tsp red chili flakes, optional
  • 1 ยผ cup tomato passata
  • ยฝ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp miso paste, optional (Note 1)
  • ยฝ bunch fresh basil, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salt water until al dente. Drain over a sieve.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil. Add garlic, olives, capers, and chili flakes, sautรฉ for 3 minutes until fragrant.
  • Stir in tomato passata and dried oregano. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with miso paste, salt, and black pepper.
  • โ€‹โ€‹Add drained pasta to the sauce and toss for one minute. Sprinkle with fresh basil and, if you like, this vegan parmesan cheese.

Notes

  1. Miso Paste: The vegan umami substitute for anchovies. Optional, as you donโ€™t have to buy a jar of miso paste extra for a serving of pasta. Otherwise, season with a little more salt or stir some yeast flakes into the sauce!
  2. Keeps fresh for 3 days. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  3. Gluten-Free:ย Regular spaghetti can be replaced with gluten-free spaghetti (I loveย Barillasโ€™s gluten-free spaghetti).

Nutrition

Calories :556kcal
carbohydrates :78g
Protein :14g
fat :21g
fiber :5g
sugar :3g

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