Meatless Meals: Pasta Puttanesca

Pasta Puttanesca, pasta topped with olives, capers, tomatoes, and anchovies, is one of my favorite meatless dishes. You can also make it vegetarian by eliminating the anchovies. (To those who may turn their noses up at anchovies or swear that their kids will never touch them: they add a saltiness and complexitiy to the dish, but aren’t discernable as “fishy.”)

Pasta Puttanesca originated around Naples, Italy. There are many stories about the name’s origin. Some say the city’s “Ladies of the Evening” made this fragrant dish to entice customers. Others say the ladies created it as an affordable meal that could be made from what’s was already in the larder. Either way, it’s delicious, very affordable, and healthy.

Pasta Puttanesca
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
5 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Sweet onions, chopped
6 oz. Black olives, chopped
7 Petrocinni peppers, chopped
4 Anchovy filets, chopped
4 oz. Capers
1 16 oz. can tomatoes, chopped with juices

Noodles (I use egg noodles, but you can use any type of pasta)

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Cook and onion and the garlic until they are soft. Add the olives, peppers, anchovies, capers, and tomatoes and juice. Cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally for about 1 1/2 hours.

While the sauce is cooking, boil the noodles in lightly salted water until they are not quite al dente. Drain. Put in the bottom of a standard, rectangular casserole dish.

Preheat oven to 170 ° F.

Top the noodles with the olive and tomato mixture and bake for about 1 hour or until warmed through.

Serves 8-10.

^{(photo © 2008 S. Mitchell)}