Skip to main content

Pasta Puttanesca Sauce

Phil Donaldson writes: “This Italian sauce is probably the best-tasting spaghetti sauce we have ever tasted. However, it is not very well known. The name means ‘prostitute’s sauce,’ and the story goes that the ladies would prepare the sauce and put it on their windowsills, and the smell was so fabulous that it attracted clients for them.”

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4-6

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Two 14 1/2-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped, juice reserved
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup drained capers
8 anchovy fillets, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley or basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté the garlic until translucent. Add the tomatoes and their reserved juice, then stir in the olives, wine, capers, anchovies, parsley, dried herbs, and pepper flakes.

    Step 2

    Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a slow simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes. Serve over pasta.

The Lady & Sons, Too! by Paula Deen. © 2001 by Paula H. Deen. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved. Paula H. Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, started the Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons Restaurant, which is located in Savannah’s historic district and specializes in Southern cooking. Paula is the host of Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking and is a regular guest on QVC, where her cookbooks are one of the newtowrk’s biggest sellers.
Read More
Canned purée delivers rich body and deep flavor, without the nonna-level cook time.
The umami-packed pasta you'll be making all season long.
Yes, you can use the pre-cut squash.
A fancy-feeling dish that comes together in 20 minutes.
This picadillo-inspired topping would taste good on a shoe.
A fam-favorite, 30-minute dinner we have on repeat.
Brussels sprouts are better with a crunchy Parmesan skirt.
Cut steak into cubes and suddenly it transforms into a quick-cooking protein.