Say goodbye to weeknight dinner dilemmas and dinner party stress, because we’ve got the perfect pasta recipe for every occasion – this speedy and saucy One Pot Puttanesca! This flavor-packed sauce, featuring tomatoes, olives, and capers, is not only a vegan masterpiece, but also a time-saving hero, that comes together in a snap.
It’s a delicious single pot pasta recipe. But if you’re looking for more, we have compiled a list of five of our most popular one pot pasta dishes here!
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Why is it called puttanesca?
Get ready for the raunchiest origin story for a pasta name! When we learned about it, we were a little bit shocked ourselves.
This popular pasta recipe was first seen in the World War II era in Italy. Common ingredients were not always readily available. It was a time when you made the most of what you had. In fact, you’ll find our spaghetti carbonara originated around the same time for these exact reasons.
But, we digress. To put it gently, the word puttanesca translates to “lady of the night.” In other words, a prostitute. At the time, many Italian women turned to this profession as a way to make extra money during the evenings.
Some food historians believe that this dish originated due to the speed in which it came together. And that it was something quick and flavorful that women could make for themselves between clients. Others say that the aromas of the dish are reminiscent of this industry that thrived during World War II.
Either way, this pasta’s nomenclature comes with a fun story to tell. However, if you’re cooking this for the family, you might want to skip story time on this recipe!
You are about to fall in love with one pot pasta
We’ve said it before, and we will say it again… probably 100 more times… but it’s because we LOVE one pot pastas! It is the easiest way to make the tastiest pasta dishes.
Instead of leaving yourself with a huge mess to clean up at the end of the night, you only have one single dish to clean. Our favorite recipes are those that allow us to spend more time enjoying the food and less time cleaning up after cooking.
What’s even better than the ease of cleanup is the enhancement of flavor!
When cooking dried pasta noodles, you are essentially rehydrating them. In that process of rehydration, the noodles are soaking in all of the flavor of the liquid around them. That’s why you want to heavily salt your pasta water – so that your noodles don’t taste bland.
Well, the bonus with one-pot pasta is that the noodles cook alongside the ingredients of the dish. So instead of just soaking up water and salt, the casarecce in this dish absorbs the flavors of the olives, capers, herbs, and more!
And if that wasn’t enough to convince you to climb aboard the one-pot-pasta-train, we’ve got one more benefit to share with you.
Oftentimes recipes will call for you to add a scoop of pasta water into your sauce. This is because flour-based pasta naturally releases gluten when it is cooking. This gluten water helps work as a thickener, and can actually help your sauce stick to the pasta noodles.
In our one-pot pasta recipes, your noodles cook directly in with the sauce. This gluten run-off is already included and works to thicken your sauce while everything cooks together. You’ll find that the sauces in our one-pot pasta dishes are creamy, even when there is no dairy involved!
What is casarecce?
Casarecce is a type of pasta that is made to carry a thicker sauce — it’s the ideal pasta noodle for this recipe! The noodles are about an inch to two inches long and curl inward with a bit of a twist. Similar to gemelli or rotini, the sauce gets trapped in the curves of casarecce so every bite is filled with flavor!
To make this a healthy pasta recipe, we use DeLallo whole wheat casarecce. It is made from organic durum wheat and is the perfect match for this puttanesca.
Can I make this one-pot pasta recipe gluten-free?
Absolutely, flexibility is the name of the game! With this Puttanesca recipe, going gluten-free is a breeze. The only gluten culprit is the pasta, but fear not – just swap it out with your favorite gluten-free noodles, and you’re in business!
Whether it’s rice-based, quinoa-infused, or made from chickpeas, the world of gluten-free pasta options is vast and delicious. The beauty of this modification is that you get to customize your puttanesca to suit your dietary preferences without sacrificing the bold flavors and saucy goodness.
How to make one pot puttanesca
- Add whole wheat casarecce pasta to a deep pot and drizzle with olive oil. Make sure to evenly coat the noodles to make sure they don’t stick while cooking.
- Next add in tomatoes, chopped zucchini, olives and capers.
- Pour the marinara sauce on top of all of these ingredients and top with thyme, herbs de Provence, and salt and pepper.
- Lastly, pour in the broth and give the pot a mix.
- Bring the liquid up to a boil and cook for 9-12 minutes, or until your pasta is al dente.
- Give your pasta a final mix and serve it up hot!
One Pot Pasta Puttanesca (with whole wheat pasta)
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked whole wheat casarecce pasta
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 large chopped zucchini
- 1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
- 2 ounces capers
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons herbs de provence
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Instructions
- Add whole wheat casarecce pasta to a deep pot and drizzle with olive oil. Make sure to evenly coat the noodles to make sure they don’t stick while cooking.1 pound uncooked whole wheat casarecce pasta, 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Next add in tomatoes, chopped zucchini, olives, and capers. Pour the marinara sauce on top of all of these ingredients and top with thyme, herbs de provence, salt, and pepper.1 cup grape tomatoes sliced in half, 1 large chopped zucchini, 1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives, 2 ounces capers, 1/2 cup marinara sauce, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 2 teaspoons herbs de provence, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Lastly, pour in the broth and give the pot a mix. Bring the liquid up to a boil and cook for 9-12 minutes, or until your pasta is al-dente. Give your pasta a final mix and serve it up hot!4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was really excited for this recipe and followed the steps, however my pasta was undercooked and I had to keep on adding more liquid but it was taking FOREVER to cook. In the end it was soupy and not cooked. Im really sad as I wanted this to work. I would HIGHLY recommend for anyone cooking this recipe to perhaps cook their pasta separately (2-3 mins before al dente) and then follow this recipe.
The easiest pasta puttanesca ever! And it’s absolutely delicious!
Fantastic, that is so great to hear!
So delicious and so easy, as the recipe only requires one pot! Perfect for meal prepping.
So easy, so quick, and so tasty! I make this on Sunday nights and divide it up to take to work during the week and i dont have to waste half of my weekend doing it! Plus I don’t have to wash all the dishes. Bring on all of the one pot pasta recipes!