A tomato-based sauce made with anchovies, tuna, capers and olives, puttanesca sauce is really simple to make. This fragrant, fishy pasta salad dish is full of fabulous flavour - and only takes 30 minutes to prepare a four portion serving which makes it the perfect mid-week family meal that the whole family will love. You could even use some themed pasta shapes which your kids will go crazy for!
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
- Pinch dried chilli flakes
- 50g can anchovy fillets in oil, drained and chopped
- 2 x 440g cans plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 55g (2oz) capers, rinsed well
- 115g (4oz) pitted olives, chopped
- 200g can tuna in spring water, drained and flaked
- Handful basil leaves, chopped
- 350g (12oz) dried pasta shapes, such as gigli
- 115g (4oz) half-fat mozzarella, to serve (optional)
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Gently heat the oil in a saucepan with the garlic and chilli for 1 min.
- Add the anchovies, tomatoes, capers, olives and tuna. Simmer slowly for 20-25 mins or until thickened. Stir in the basil, turn off the heat and season with black pepper.
- Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and add to the sauce with 1tbsp cooking water. Mix well and serve with a little mozzarella, if using.
Top Tip for making Puttanesca
If you're not keen on the strong taste of anchovies, you can just leave them out - this dish will still taste great.
Jessica Dady is Food Editor at GoodtoKnow and has over 11 years of experience as a digital editor, specialising in all things food, recipes, and SEO. From the must-buy seasonal food hampers and advent calendars for Christmas to the family-friendly air fryers that’ll make dinner time a breeze, Jessica loves trying and testing various food products to find the best of the best for the busy parents among us. Over the years of working with GoodtoKnow, Jessica has had the privilege of working alongside Future’s Test Kitchen to create exclusive videos - as well as writing, testing, and shooting her own recipes. When she’s not embracing the great outdoors with her family at the weekends, Jessica enjoys baking up a storm in the kitchen with her favourite bakes being chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and a tray of gooey chocolate brownies.
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