Name: 15-Minute One Pot Linguini Puttanesca (no anchovies)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 16 ounces linguini; 5 cups water; 1/4 cup capers (drained (if using large capote capers, roughly chop them)); 1/2 cup black olives (pitted, drained, sliced in half); 2 cups cherry tomatoes (sliced in half); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1/4 cup parsley (fresh, minced); 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; Lemon wedges and fresh parsley (for garnish)

Hate doing dishes and short on time? Make this one pot linguini puttanesca without anchovies. Linguini, olives, capers, cherry tomatoes, garlic and parsley cook up to a flavorful and rich meal that’ll be done in less than 15 minutes.

Did I mention this entire recipe is cooked on high heat? My kind of recipe, let me tell you.

large non-stick skillet with pasta puttanesca and a set of tongs resting inside

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Puttanesca sauce is a pasta sauce that was created in Naples, Italy in the mid-20th century. It typically features anchovies, olives, capers and sometimes tomatoes, garlic or chili peppers.

For this plant-based, vegan pasta puttanesca recipe, we're omitting the anchovies and focusing on the salty, tangy capers and olives to bring on the flavor.

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

sliced tomatoes, olives and parsley on cutting board

Linguini - or other pasta that cooks in 8-9 minutes.
Black olives - Buy them pitted and you can cut them in half lengthwise yourself. Or, buy them already sliced.
Capers - I used capote capers, but any capers will work. Capote capers are larger (about the size of a chickpea), more mild and usually less expensive than non-pareil capers. Non-pareil capers are more delicate than the larger capote variety. Both can be used for this dish. If using capote capers, give them a rough chop to allow their flavor to permeate the sauce.

🔪 Instructions

I'm kinda quick with a kitchen knife, but even I need to have everything chopped and ready before turning on the stove in this recipe. It goes so insanely fast that if you try to chop as you go, you'll be likely to:

A) cut yourself because you're rushing,
B) make a mess trying to throw everything in quickly (been there, done that) or
C) the pasta will be done and stuck together because instead of stirring, you were chopping garlic.

So, just this once, prep everything ahead of time and then turn on the burner. Pretty please?

Step 1: Slice your pitted whole olives in half, lengthwise.

Step 2: Slice cherry tomatoes in half, lengthwise.

Step 3: Mince garlic.

Step 4: Chop capers.

Process prep 5 - adding all ingredients to large wide skillet

Step 5: Add 5 cups of water to your skillet and then turn the heat on high. Yes, high heat. Crank it up! Add in all the other ingredients, except the lemon and extra parsley for sprinkling on top. The water should start boiling within a minute or two. Stir and toss with tongs frequently while it cooks.

Process prep 6 - cook on high heat until pasta is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated

Step 6: Keep cooking it over high heat, stirring and tossing the pasta until the pasta is done and the sauce has reduced. Most of the liquid should be gone. You should be left with a silky, flavorful sauce for your pasta, without having to drain it at all.

Expert tips

Choose a large, wide, shallow pan that will hold all of the ingredients (plus the water). A tall stockpot is not the best choice here, because we want the water to evaporate quickly. I used a large non-stick skillet to make clean-up even easier.
Taste the pasta every minute or so in the last few minutes of cooking.
- If the pasta is cooking fast, but there's a lot of liquid left, increase the heat.
- If the pasta is nowhere near done, but the liquid is almost gone, decrease the heat a bit or add ¼ cup of water and stir.
Use normal white or wheat pasta. Gluten-free pasta does not work the same in this recipe. It will get mushy (thanks, Petrice for testing it!), so I don't recommend it.

🍲 One pot pasta ideas

One pot pasta recipes are amazing. You can use the basic ratios and switch up your veggies, greens, beans, herbs and spices to create different meals.

white bowl of pasta puttanesca with sliced black olives, capers, tomato and parsley on top

Basic ratio for one pot pasta

To make other vegan one pot pasta dishes, use these basic ratios:

1 pound pasta that cooks al dente in 8-9 minutes (linguini, spaghetti, bucatini, etc.)
5 cups water
cook over high heat about 10 minutes

One pot pasta variations

Classic Pomodoro: Tomato + basil + garlic + onion
Springtime Lemon: Snowpeas + green onions + garlic + fresh basil + lots of lemon
Nourishing Bolognese: Cooked brown lentils + onion + garlic + carrot + tomatoes + basil
Spicy Chickpea: Cooked chickpeas + spinach + sliced onions + garlic + green onion + red chili flakes
Winter Warmth: Cooked white beans + kale + carrot + red chili flakes

Love this recipe?

Please rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below, so I know which recipes you like the best. This helps me know what to make more of!

📖 Recipe

This recipe was adapted from thekitchn.

Comments

4.80 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

🔪 Instructions

Expert tips