Puttanesca Sauce

Name: Puttanesca Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 4 anchovy fillets; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped; 2 tbsp capers; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes; 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

4 servings10 min prep25 min cookEasy

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Puttanesca Sauce

Story updated September 18, 2026

Puttanesca's origin story is famously cheeky and largely unverifiable, with some claiming it was a quick dish made by or for Neapolitan brothel workers in the mid-20th century. What's better documented is that it emerged in the Naples area as a bold, pantry-based sauce of olives, capers, and anchovies.

Ingredients

Scale:· 4 servings

3 tbsp olive oil
4 anchovy fillets
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
2 tbsp capers
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

Instructions

1Warm olive oil and cook anchovies and garlic until the anchovies dissolve, about 2 minutes.
2Add olives, capers, and red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute more.
3Stir in crushed tomatoes and simmer 20 minutes.
4Taste before adding extra salt — the anchovies and capers are salty.

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