In this hearty-yet-streamlined puttanesca from Ali Slagle’s cookbook I Dream of Dinner (So You Don’t Have To), the dried pasta cooks directly in a tomato-rich broth full of capers and olives for maximum flavor absorption with one fewer pot to clean. The crunchy anchovy panko topping is optional but highly recommended.
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What you’ll need
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Heatproof Measuring Cup
$26 At Amazon
Medium Skillet
$50 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
6
4
⅓
½
6
3
½
¼
8
5
½
Preparation
Step 1
Cook garlic, 2 anchovies, and ⅓ cup oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat, stirring and smashing anchovies with a wooden spoon, until garlic starts to brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add olives, tomato paste, capers, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until tomato paste turns a shade darker, about 3 minutes.
Step 2
Add 4 cups water to pot, increase temperature to high, and bring to a boil. Add pasta and spinach, tearing leaves into smaller pieces as you go. Stir to combine, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring often to keep pasta from sticking, until cooked through, 10–12 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 anchovies and 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium skillet over medium. Add panko and a pinch of red pepper flakes and salt and cook, stirring often and breaking anchovies apart, until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Divide pasta among bowls and top with panko mixture.
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Leave a Review
Reviews (34)
Back to TopUnless you are a sardine lover, use half or none.
Aimee
Portland, ME
7/16/2024
Easy peasy! Loved the base of the sauce and agree with other reviewers on decreasing the water to 3.5c. Ditalini is a must, as are those bread crumbs. An extra veg or protein would be great in here too. Next time...
KTS
Madison, WI
4/11/2024
This is definitely a repeat recipe for me. It’s simple, yet packed with flavor, and made with ingredients I always keep on hand. The only thing I had to adjust, based on other reviews, was the amount of water. I used a pasta that tends to cook up quickly, so decreased by a full cup. It’s something you might need to experiment with and judge based on your pasta and how you like your sauce.
Meredith
Tennessee
4/8/2024
I love this recipe. I put more anchovies in the sauce (I've done 4-5, and I haven't found a max yet) and use lacinato kale instead of spinach. Unlike other reviewers, I use the full amount of water--I use a pretty sturdy bronze-cut ditalini and I find that I need the full amount of water to keep it all submerged. Yum!!
leek
Seattle, WA
3/26/2024
This was great. Hearty and flavorful for the minimal effort. I would reduce the water by ~a cup next time as I had to simmer it much longer than suggested, so my noodles were a bit overdone.
Anonymous
NYC
6/24/2023
Such amazing depth of flavour and easy to put together.
Kathy S
Toronto, Canada
5/4/2023
Incredible recipe and comes together so quickly. We use 3.5 cups of water and a can of sardines in the beginning, instead of anchovies.
Hannah R
New York, NY
2/26/2023