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
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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

Saute the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano in olive oil.
Add chopped parsley, olives, and capers.
Add chopped tomatoes and simmer.
Toss with pasta.

What to Serve with Pasta Puttanesca

Looking for an easy side dish idea? Try this vegan chopped salad or pair this pasta with vegan dinner rolls. If you need more ideas, I have a whole list of the best side dishes to pair with pasta!

More Pasta Recipes

If you liked this pasta puttanesca, be sure to try my vegan vodka sauce recipe! It’s creamy, delicious, and completely plant-based. You might also like my vegan butternut squash pasta! Not looking for a vegan recipe? Try this sun dried tomato pasta!

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Pasta Puttanesca

Pasta Puttanesca

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  • Author: Liz Thomson
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

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!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 8oz spaghetti or linguine
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped olives
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
  2. In a large skillet add the olive oil garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute over low heat for 3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
  3. Add the parsley, olives, and capers and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Add the tomatoes and saute for 5 minutes until the tomatoes have softened.
  5. Add the cooked pasta to the tomato mixture and toss until the pasta is coated. Season generously with salt.