Pasta is a comfort food that makes us feel good, and during the week when we’re looking for something super satisfying to make for dinner, but without a lot of fuss, pasta seems to be a smart choice. Pasta Puttanesca is a simple spaghetti dish with olives, capers and tomatoes. This combination of the tangy ingredients boosts dried pasta to a whole new level and with the addition of salami, it becomes even more delicious.
Dinner at my house isn’t always fancy and pasta does please just about everyone. I love the fact that the ingredients are simple in this recipe, and it’s easy to throw together in a moments notice. The flavors of olives and capers is something that I adore, and that briny mix of ingredients can really perk up a batch of plain spaghetti.
This is the perfect weeknight meal, especially when you want an easy dinner, and don’t want to be in the kitchen for hours. A quick pan sauce is made with pasta water and a pat of butter, which tastes like a creamy bowl of tapenade mixed with hot noodles. You can prepare this entire dish within 10 minutes and most of the ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. If you are gluten intolerant, you can always substitute brown rice pasta or quinoa pasta.
Ingredients
3 ounces sliced salami
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
1/4 cup capers, drained
1 clove garlic
1 medium tomato, any variety
1 tablespoon butter
8 ounces dried spaghetti, I used brown rice pasta
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese + more for topping
olive oil
(Serves 2)
To Prepare:
1. Boil pasta for 10 minutes, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain and set aside. Dice tomatoes and rough chop olives. Mince garlic, slice salami into strips and rinse capers.
2. In a medium saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salami. Place over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes, while stirring. Add garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives and capers and stir to combine, cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add butter and 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir mixture to create a thin sauce, continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add pasta and parmesan cheese and toss with tongs to combine. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with a little more parmesan cheese, serve immediately. Enjoy!
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