Italian Puttanesca is a bold, robust sauce with tomatoes, capers, olives, and garlic which is typically served as a sauce for pasta. If you substitute in spaghetti squash for the pasta you have a low carb Puttanesca main dish that rivals the original (vegetarian also if you omit the anchovies).
Jump to: RECIPE | History of Puttanesca | Key Ingredients | Spaghetti Squash vs Pasta
This post may contain affiliate links, and you can read our disclosure information here–
History of Puttanesca
Puttanesca is usually associated with Naples as its place of origin. The term itself translates roughly to “lady of the night.” (aka prostitute), and some say therefore that the dish originated in the brothels of the Spanish Quarters.
Others claim it was invented in the 1950s at a famous Ischia restaurant (Rancio Fellone) late at night to satisfy a group of customers who complained that they were hungry.
They supposedly told the co-owner (Sandro Petti) to just make something simple with whatever he had left over that night.
The co-owner had some tomatoes, olives and capers which ended up forming the base of a sauce that became quite popular in the restaurant.
From this story, puttanesca came to be referenced all over Italy as a pasta sauce that was easy to cook, without frills or complicated preparation.
Key Puttanesca Ingredients
Puttanesca was considered a humble dish, made with common Italian pantry ingredients.
The sauce is typically made by combining anchovies, capers, olives, and optional ingredients like garlic, red pepper flakes, chile peppers, and tomatoes into a robustly flavored gravy or sauce.
Within the different regions of Italy, a Sicilian version of this sauce has green peppers and one from Palermo has anchovies, raisins and olives. The most famous Neopolitan version has anchovies and oregano.
The base however is most often the same, with bold, salty ingredients of olives, capers, tomatoes and garlic.
Pasta Puttanesca Pugliese with Tomatoes
For all things Italian my first inclination is to go to Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s recipes, so I went back to one of her earlier cookbooks that focused on Italy’s Farmhouse Kitchens, The Italian Country Table.
A recipe for a vibrant, spicy “streetwalkers pasta” (aka prostitutes’ pasta) sounded like a good starting place.
Kasper’s dish was called “Pasta Puttanesca Pugliese” and it sounded great but it was more of a fresh raw dish and I was looking for a warm cooked recipe. Her recipe was easy to modify and it turned out wonderful.
Since the ingredients were so robust, I decided they could handle the additional boldness of a smoked tomato vinegar that I make on our farm. The intense smokiness of the tomatoes paired well with the salty umami from anchovy fillets, black olives, and Parmesan cheese.
I also made it using non-smoked tomatoes and a red wine vinegar, which resulted in version with a brighter flavor.
If you are interested in making your own tomato shrub check out this recipe for a shrub syrup.
Spaghetti Squash for the Low Carb Recipe
Now of course the typical pasta served with puttanesca is not low carb and this rich sauce needs a bed or some sort of “noodle” to soak up all the goodness and give it some “chew”.
There are zucchini noodles and other alternatives available for low carb substitutes, but I prefer spaghetti squash.
Using spaghetti squash as a bed of noodles allows a mild medium that won’t distract from the puttanesca sauce, but still has enough heft to add the desired texture. The slight squash flavor is a nice addition also.
Spaghetti squash also makes a great side dish for other low carb main dishes, like this pork ragu. Or try it using the squash shells as a bowl for this low carb lasagna or this low carb chicken enchilada.
I also made a non-low-carb version using penne noodles, just to test the difference. It was good, but I actually preferred the spaghetti noodles. Here is what it looked like with penne (better photo but less tasty).
I see Mark Bittman also includes a version of puttanesca in his “How to Cook Everything“ book, but it does not include anchovies.
Like this recipe? It helps me out greatly if you leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below and maybe even leave me a quick comment too!
Low carb Italian Puttanesca
Equipment
- Dutch oven (Or large pot)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves tightly packed
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 28 ounces canned peeled, plum tomatoes I love Italian San Marzano canned tomoatoes
- 2 fresh tomatoes if available
- 2 teaspoon anchovy paste or two anchovy filets, chopped
- ½ cup olives pitted & coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 3 teaspoon red wine vinegar or a homemade tomato vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 spaghetti squash If not low carb, use 1 lb of pasta of your choice
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated (can use Romano cheese – Pecorino is my favorite)
Instructions
- With a sharp knife, mince together the basil, garlic, and hot pepper flakes with the coarse salt and set aside. (Alternatively, mash together with a mortar and pestle).1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- In a large skillet or dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and lightly caramelized, about 6- 10 minutes. Add the garlic-herb mix and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the remaining 6 ingredients through the ground pepper and simmer until the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced (about 15 – 20 minutes). This can simmer while baking the spaghetti squash (or cooking the pasta).2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium onion, 28 ounces canned peeled, plum tomatoes, 2 fresh tomatoes, 2 teaspoon anchovy paste, 1/2 cup olives, 2 tablespoons capers, 3 teaspoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Bake the spaghetti squash in the oven for about an hour at 375 F. Using a fork, remove the strands of squash.If using pasta instead of squash: Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling water, stirring often, until there is no raw flour taste (about 7-10 minutes for penne). Drain the pasta if using pasta.1 spaghetti squash
- Put the spaghetti squash strands (or the drained pasta) in a large pot and place over medium heat. Spoon most of the Puttanesca sauce into the pot and cook a few minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.
- Taste for seasoning, and garnish with some chopped basil and grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese and serve. Place small bowls of extra sauce, and extra cheese to pass around for individual tastes.1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Online Diet/Health Coaching:
Although I am not currently taking clients for diet & health coaching, I was a coach for many years with the online service called coach.me. It is a great platform for all kinds of coaching – anything from specific diets, writing a blog, getting up early, or getting rid of that pesky procrastination.
There are some wonderful coaches and the testimonials will tell you what you need to know. Contact me at [email protected] to get a referral to some of the tested, experienced online coaches on Coach.me.
I’ve made pasta puttanesca a number of times. One recipe I’ve used has you “cook” the sauce in the hot summer sun. I don’t remember the details, but it’s a good and easy way to make it when local tomatoes, basil, etc., are at their best. Using smoked tomatoes sounds yummy!
I’m surely going to have to smoke some more tomatoes this year…it made a huge flavor difference. Seems puttanesca has a legend regarding prostitutes surrounding it!
[…] Korean beef rib tacos (above); Osso Buco; ham and cheese pull-apart bread; karahi lentil soup; pasta puttanesca with smoked tomatoes; socca with squash, kale and Italian sausage; lemongrass and corn soup and pozole […]
I have a stovetop smoker. What wood do you use?
Jill, I have a smoker that uses wood pellets and I usuallly use hickory because I like that profile, but go wild with any hardwood and it will be good.
[…] Of course, tomato sauce is a classic use of end-of-the-season tomatoes, and it freezes well. For the recipe for a bold, robust tomato sauce called Puttanesca, click here. […]