Puttanesca is one of my favorite pasta sauces, and this vegetarian puttanesca is no exception. My love runs deep because I’m seriously smitten with olives and capers, both of which are featured heavily in this pungent tomato-based sauce.
This Vegetarian Puttanesca is also really easy to make – another bonus. And, also, it’s the perfect pantry recipe.
When I first started eating vegetarian, I considered puttanesca sauce a safe bet on restaurant menus. Imagine my surprise when I realized later on that in addition to olives and capers, another reason for its umami goodness was anchovies. Whoops! Definitely not vegetarian.
For the last several years, one of my goals in life (yep, it’s true) was to create a tasty puttanesca sauce recipe without anchovies. I’ve tried countless iterations, and it was always almost right, but not 100% right. Until this one!
Vegetarian Puttanesca Ingredients
For this vegetarian puttanesca, we’ve got:
Lots of garlic
Oregano
Crushed tomatoes – cooked down for maximum intensity
Loads of kalamata olives and capers
A pinch of red pepper flakes for just a smidge of heat
And a dash of soy sauce. Yep – soy sauce. It’s all about heightening that umami experience without the anchovies. And it totally works here.
(Just pretend you see garlic in this shot. And salt. And olive oil. But otherwise, these are the ingredients you need.)
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a popular version of pasta puttanesca, made with – you guessed it – spaghetti. I also love this sauce with farfelle (bow tie pasta), penne, and rotini. But I think it will work with just about any pasta.
So there you have it – Vegetarian Puttanesca with no anchovies in sight! I hope you love this one as much as we do. If you do, please come back and leave a rating! (Or even if you don’t like it, please come back and leave a rating too – the feedback is important and helps me make the best recipes I can!)
Rich with with garlic, kalamata olives, and capers, this piquant, concentrated sauce is a serious fave around here. Serve with whatever pasta you happen to have on hand!
1/8teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper + more to taste
1/2cuphalved and pitted kalamata olives
2tablespoonscapers(drained)
1tablespoonsoy sauce or tamari
Pinchcrushed red pepper flakes(more or less, to taste)
For serving:
8ouncesof your favorite pasta such as spaghetti(penne, farfalle (bow tie), or rotini)
A small handful of minced fresh parsley
Instructions
Before you start the sauce, set a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil so you can cook your pasta (according to package directions) at the same time you’re working on your sauce.
Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down and the liquid has mostly dissipated, about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add olives, capers, soy sauce or tamari, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, for another minute until the olives are heated through. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes if desired.
Drain pasta and add pasta to the pan along with the sauce. Toss well until evenly distributed.
Scoop into bowls or onto plates, sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired, and serve.
Notes
Gluten-free option
Use Tamari instead of soy sauce and serve with your favorite gluten-free pasta for a fully GF version.