One Pot Pasta Puttanesca

This one pan pasta puttanesca is the ultimate effortless hands off dinner for two, ready in less than half an hour, ideal for after a busy day at work or otherwise. All the ingredients are from the store cupboard so you don’t even need to go grocery shopping.

One pot pasta puttanesca

This one pot pasta puttanesca has to be one of my favourite after work dinner for two recipes. Neapolitan inspired soft spaghetti in a silky smooth rich tomato sauce with a hint of heat, salty capers, anchovies and olives.

Aside from assembling the ingredients it is completely hands off, just dump everything into a shallow lidded pan, and get on with something else while it cooks.

I’ll show you how to get perfectly cooked pasta in just the right amount of sauce every time.

See also

• Creamy salmon gnocchi is another delicious one pot for two
• Big flavours in one pot in less than half an hour with my chicken chorizo pasta for two
• Hunters chicken is a pub classic that is easily and speedily made at home for a weeknight dinner

Even better you don’t have leftover ingredients, everything comes from the cupboard or pantry, and the recipe is easily tailor to your taste or appetite. Win win win!

Why make one pot pasta puttanesca

• So easy to make – dump and go!

• Huge big bold gutsy flavours

• All ingredients are from the store cupboard or pantry

• No leftover ingredients – uses the whole tin of tomatoes and anchovies

• Adaptable to your taste, scalable to your appetite

Cooking pasta by absorption

I nearly always cook rice by absorption, but it took me a while to become a convert to the absorption method for pasta as well.

The secret to a really great pasta sauce is to add a little of the pasta cooking water. This is because the starch in the water both helps the sauce stick to the pasta, and adds a silky smoothness to the sauce.

With a one pot pasta you get to keep all that starch, and the pasta absorbs the sauce so it cooks, so it is infused with flavour.

The basic ratio for cooking pasta by the absorption method is twice the weight of liquid to pasta, but this will vary slightly according to the type of pasta you are using, the other ingredients used, the size of your pan and how well the lid fits.

Once you have made a couple of one pot pasta dishes you will easily be able to judge how to adjust to get the perfect pasta every time.

One pot pasta puttanesca ingredients

• Canned / tinned tomatoes – Chopped tomatoes makes it a bit quicker. Go for supermarket mid range. The cheapest economy style ones are often thin, acidic and watery. Save the best tomatoes for a dish where tomato is the star. You could use a carton of passata if you prefer.

• Spaghetti – Spaghetti, linguini, tagliatelle or noodle type of pasta are all perfect for this dish.

• Canned Anchovies – I like the small cans with about 8-10 fillets in olive oil – the ones I happened to have had both garlic and herbs added – but it doesn’t matter if your anchovies are with or without additions, as you can adjust the seasoning.

• Capers – Regular capers from a jar, once opened these last in the fridge.

• Olives – I had a small packet of mixed olives – you can use any type. Both the olives and/or the capers are optional, but I do think you want to use one or the other.

• Seasoning – I’ve used a mix of garlic granules (for ease of not preparing fresh), smoked paprika, chilli flake, and a little thyme and oregano. You can add black pepper at the end of cooking. I do not recommend adding salt, as the anchovies, capers and olives are all quite salty.

One Pot Pan

For all my one pots for two I use an inexpensive 24cm / 9.5″ IKEA 365 frying pan, with a matching glass lid. It has great quality non stick, goes in the dishwasher and because it has a metal handle will go in the oven and under the grill / broiler.

Any shallow pan with a well fitting lid will work here. But you absolutely do not need an expensive cast iron skillet here.

How to make one pot pasta puttanesca – step by step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Step One – Open the anchovies and pour the entire contents in, the anchovies and the oil.

Give the anchovies a nudge to break them apart, and the pan a swirl so the bottom of the pan is covered with the oil. The anchovies will disintegrate when cooking so it is fine to leave them whole.

Break the spaghetti in half and add that. Pour over the tinned tomatoes. Add the seasoning, capers and olives (if using).

Fill the empty tomato can about a third full with water, give it a swirl to rinse and add this to the pan.

Put the lid on, bring to a gentle simmer, turn the heat right down so the liquid is barely bubbling and leave for 10 minutes.

Step Two – Give the spaghetti a nudge to break the pieces apart and to stop any sticking. You need to be quite gentle here as the pasta would have started to soften, but will be quite delicate and easily snapped.

There will still be some liquid in the pan, if it is starting to look dry add a little more water.

Put the lid back on and let it cook for another 10 minutes.

Step Three – Check to see that the pasta is cooked. If it needs a bit longer, you can add an extra splash of water and put the lid back for a few minutes more.

If the sauce is looking too wet then simmer with the lid off for another minute.

When you are happy that the pasta is soft enough, taste and season with pepper as needed. The sauce will still be quite loose, but it will rapidly thicken and coat the pasta as soon as it starts to cool.

I like to add and stir through a knob of butter at this stage for a really rich sauce.

Serving suggestion

This is perfect as it comes or serve with a simple green salad.

Variations

• Make this vegetarian by leaving out the anchovies and adding two generous glugs of good quality olive oil in their place.

• Add more or less chili according to taste.

• Make a really rich tomato sauce by adding a generous dollop of tomato puree.

• For extra veg, put a few handfuls of spinach on top of the pasta for the last 5 minutes of cooking, once it has steamed and wilted and reduced in volume, stir it through.

• I do not think that this dish needs cheese, but feel free to serve with some finely grated Parmesan or other grana style Italian hard cheese.

Storage

This recipe is written for two – so there shouldn’t be any leftovers. But if you do have some, or if you make a double batch!

Fridge – Cover, cool and get any leftovers into the fridge as quickly as possible. You can store for a couple of days. When reheating, you may need to add some more water.

Freezer – Pack leftovers into freezer containers and freeze as soon as it is cool. Can be stored for three months.

To reheat either put back in the pan with a splash of water and gentle reheat, or transfer to a suitable microwave container.

Hints and tips

• A good pan makes all the difference. I use a 24 cm / 9 inch pan and find it just right for cooking for two. Make sure the lid fits and choose one that will go in the dishwasher.

• Use decent canned tomatoes. Cheap, metallic tasting ones can spoil a dish. If you find your tomatoes are a bit watery or acidic, add a pinch of sugar. Use passata if you prefer.

FAQs

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