The Ultimate 15-Minute Pasta Puttanesca (A Fresh, No-Cook Sauce!)
A quick and fresh vegetarian pasta dish featuring a no-cook sauce with Mediterranean flavors. The recipe uses hot, freshly cooked bucatini or spaghetti to gently melt a mixture of room-temperature butter, finely chopped fresh mozzarella, diced tomatoes, olives, and basil. A pungent paste made from mashed garlic, capers, and red pepper flakes provides a bold flavor base. The dish comes together in the time it takes to boil the pasta.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Boiling, Tossing (No-Cook Sauce)
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 12 ounces bucatini or spaghetti
- 1 small clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound tomatoes, diced
- 2/3 cup pitted kalamata or nicoise olives, chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, finely chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the bucatini or spaghetti and cook according to the package directions until al dente.
- Before draining the pasta, reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water. Drain the pasta.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. On a cutting board, pile the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the capers, and the red pepper flakes. Mince them together, then use the flat side of a chef’s knife to mash the mixture into a paste.
- Transfer the garlic-caper paste to a large serving bowl. Add the olive oil, diced tomatoes, chopped olives, the remaining 1 tablespoon of capers, and the room-temperature butter. Stir in the chopped basil and the finely chopped mozzarella cheese.
- Add the hot, drained pasta directly to the bowl with the tomato and cheese mixture.
- Toss everything together. The heat from the pasta will melt the butter and mozzarella, creating a creamy sauce. Add some of the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, if the sauce seems too dry.
- Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.
Notes
- This recipe features a no-cook sauce that is created by the residual heat of the freshly cooked pasta.
- Mashing the garlic and capers into a paste helps to release their flavors and distribute them evenly throughout the dish.
- Reserving the starchy pasta water is a key step to help create a smooth, emulsified sauce that coats the pasta perfectly.
Find it online: https://cookupjoy.com/pasta-puttanesca/