Jump To Recipeby Liz Thomson
September 23, 2011This post may contain affiliate links.
This Vegan Pasta Puttanesca is a simple Italian pasta dish featuring olives, capers, garlic, and tomatoes for a pantry-friendly meal that comes together quickly!
Pasta Puttanesca is a traditional Italian recipe that uses tomatoes, olives, capers, and garlic to create a simple pasta dish. Many recipes use anchovies but I wanted to keep this recipe vegan and I found that the olives and capers added plenty of salty, umami flavor without needing anything else. This particular recipe is a riff on a recipe I made in a cooking class at Mise En Place.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Pasta– I used whole wheat spaghetti but any type of spaghetti or linguine works great in this recipe!
Olive oil- I recommend a high-quality olive oil as the flavor will shine through in the end result.
Garlic– I used full cloves of garlic pressed in a garlic press but minced garlic is fine.
Oregano– Dried oregano adds an herbal, earlthy flavor.
Red pepper flakes– This adds a spicy flavor to the dish. You can add more or less depending on your spice preference.
Olives– I used kalamata olives but any pitted black olive is fine.
Capers– Capers are immature flower buds that have a briny, salty flavor.
Tomatoes– I used chopped Roma tomatoes but you can use cherry tomatoes or even canned diced tomatoes, although fresh tomatoes have the most flavor.
How to Make Pasta Puttanesca
originally posted September 23, 2011 (updated June 25, 2023)by Liz Thomson categories:Dinner31 comments
You’ve had gray skies too?! Well, this week was pretty nice but today it’s rainy and dreary outside. I miss the sunshine and warm weather!
What makes me happy: sunshine. Thats all I need. I’m easy to please! 😛
Have a fantastic friday!!
Puttanesca is a magical word. Really. Too bad it means “whore” in Italian.
[And I, too, love eating with people, despite being sort of ‘weird’ about food. The communal/community aspect of food is what I love so much about it, though!]
Indeed it does. It was so named because it is made from what your typical Italian (even those of lower socioeconomic status) would have on hand- olives, tomatoes, pasta and herbs. Many versions also include anchovies (yuk). I think I will make it this weekend!
The last time I had ppl over for dinner, I made a tenderloin roast. It was great, but my veggie sides didn’t turn out well. I think next time I’m making bbq pork, though pasta is always a good option too.
As soon as it gets just a wee bit cooler, I’m going to constantly have a big pot of chili waiting on the stove. I heart chili like no other, and add a few topping options and you have an awesomely easy group dinner.
Mmmm, I can’t wait!
The sun is certainly NOT shining where I am 🙁 It’s supposed to be raining all weekend! Your recipe sounds great! I am going to share it with my gramma, we are an uber Italian family and I bet she would love this!
Good luck at the dinner party, they are always so much fun! I contribute desserts every time ha!
This week HAS dragged on terribly, I’m so stoked for dome relaxation! I’m lovin this recipe, sounds perfect for a dinner partay 😉 I love eating dinners with friends too, there’s always so much laughter and good memories!
Happy Friday friend!
I like to do pasta (stuffed shells!) or pizza or taco bar, because they’re easy and customizing friendly.
You’ve had gray skies too?! Well, this week was pretty nice but today it’s rainy and dreary outside. I miss the sunshine and warm weather!
What makes me happy: sunshine. Thats all I need. I’m easy to please! 😛
Have a fantastic friday!!
That pasta dish looks so good!
Puttanesca is a magical word. Really. Too bad it means “whore” in Italian.
[And I, too, love eating with people, despite being sort of ‘weird’ about food. The communal/community aspect of food is what I love so much about it, though!]
hahahaha is that really what it means???
Indeed it does. It was so named because it is made from what your typical Italian (even those of lower socioeconomic status) would have on hand- olives, tomatoes, pasta and herbs. Many versions also include anchovies (yuk). I think I will make it this weekend!
The last time I had ppl over for dinner, I made a tenderloin roast. It was great, but my veggie sides didn’t turn out well. I think next time I’m making bbq pork, though pasta is always a good option too.
Hurray for Friday!!!
I like to make something simple because I tend to get way stressed out when I have people over. So something in the crockpot or pasta.
It was sunny all week, now rainy where I live! Great recipe though! Looks great 🙂
As soon as it gets just a wee bit cooler, I’m going to constantly have a big pot of chili waiting on the stove. I heart chili like no other, and add a few topping options and you have an awesomely easy group dinner.
Mmmm, I can’t wait!
Yummm that’s exactly how I was in college! I’d make huge pots of vegetarian chili with my roommate! YUM!
The sun is certainly NOT shining where I am 🙁 It’s supposed to be raining all weekend! Your recipe sounds great! I am going to share it with my gramma, we are an uber Italian family and I bet she would love this!
Good luck at the dinner party, they are always so much fun! I contribute desserts every time ha!
It’s pretty simple to make, but it’s a little fancier than just pasta + sauce!
This week HAS dragged on terribly, I’m so stoked for dome relaxation! I’m lovin this recipe, sounds perfect for a dinner partay 😉 I love eating dinners with friends too, there’s always so much laughter and good memories!
Happy Friday friend!