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Total time: 40 minutes minutes
Pasta Puttanesca is a fabled Italian pasta dish made entirely with pantry ingredients like canned tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, olives --and anchovies. In this vegan Pasta Puttanesca I use two delicious ingredients that substitute perfectly for the anchovies, and no one will be able to tell the difference!
There is perhaps no pasta dish that teases and titillates a vegan cook's imagination as maddeningly as Pasta Puttanesca. Brazen and vibrant, this Italian classic, which literally translates to whor*'s pasta, appears at once attainable (all but one ingredient is vegan) and forbidding (darn those anchovies!).
Italian lore has it that Pasta Puttanesca was thus named because it was invented by prostitutes hoping to lure customers in with its rich aroma. Other versions attribute the sauce to the prostitutes' uber-busy lifestyles: they didn't have time to go shop for fresh ingredients, so they just threw together what was in the pantry.
Whatever its origins, Pasta Puttanesca is one of those dishes that, once you've had it, is impossible to forget (much like these two other dazzling pantry-ingredient pastas, Vegan Pasta e fa*gioli and Vegan Penne alla Vodka).
In my pre-vegan days Pasta Puttanesca was one of the pasta dishes I cooked the most, but after going fish-free I didn't dare try it because it seemed close to impossible to find a vegan replacement for the anchovies. While it is easy enough to swap out fishy stuff in most dishes, the reason why it just seems that much harder with Pasta Puttanesca is that the anchovies and their peculiar saltiness melt into the sauce, forming a strong flavor base that ties together the rest of the ingredients, like the tomatoes, olives and garlic. Without the anchovies, in other words, you'd just be eating pasta in a tomato sauce with olives. And while that can be tasty enough, what's the big deal about it?
When I first shared this Vegan Pasta Puttanesca recipe with you back in 2011 (it was titled "Vegan slu*t's Spaghetti at the time 😉 -- a saucy sobriquet first used by Nigella Lawson), I researched replacements for anchovies and came up with suggestions ranging from vegetarian Worcestershire sauce to capers, but neither seemed like they would replicate that oceany flavor and rich saltiness of the anchovies. Besides, puttanesca sauce recipes usually already contain capers.
Then, I had a small brainwave that sent me rushing to my pantry. I used two ingredients to replace the anchovies: seaweed, which brought to the sauce that fresh-ocean flavor, and tamari, which added a rich, deep, sweet saltiness.
My Vegan Pasta Puttanesca did not miss a flavor beat. It is perhaps the pasta dish that's most requested and cooked in my kitchen, and even little Jay has come to love it. I have updated the recipe, so I wanted to share it with you again, and to remind you once again that because you are vegan, there's really no need to miss out on your favorite recipes.
This is one to fall in love with. Enjoy, all!
- Vegan Pumpkin Spinach Lasagna
- Vegan Wild Mushroom Lasagna
- Pasta with Vegan Turnip Pesto
- Vegan Lentil and Pasta Salad
- Masala Pasta, Indian Street Style
- Pasta alla Norma
Vegan Pasta Puttanesca Recipe:
Vegan Pasta alla Puttanesca
Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan
Pasta Puttanesca is a fabled Italian dish made entirely with pantry ingredients like canned tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, olives --and anchovies. In this vegan Pasta Puttanesca I use two delicious ingredients that substitute perfectly for the anchovies, and no one will be able to tell the difference. You can also combine the gluten-free sauce with a gf pasta.
5 from 40 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Course Pasta
Cuisine Italian, nut-free, Vegan
Servings 8 servings
Calories 251 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole-wheat or regular spaghetti or fettucine
- 2 tablespoon powdered seaweed (I crumpled up Nori sheets, put them in my blender, and processed them to a fine powder. A spice grinder might work even better.)
- 1 tablespoon Tamari (use soy sauce if you don't have this)
- 1 28-oz can plum or San Marzano tomatoes, crushed, or 10 fresh tomatoes, diced, with all juices
- 1 cup pitted, oil-cured olives, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoon capers
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Instructions
Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and red pepper and toss until the garlic turns lightly golden.
Add the powdered seaweed and stir for another minute.
Add the tomatoes, olives, oregano, parsley, and capers. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes release their juices and the juices start to thicken. If using canned tomatoes, cook for 15 minutes or until the sauce turns a deep red.
Add the tamari and more salt, if needed. Season with ground black pepper.
Add the pasta to the sauce, toss to coat, and turn off the heat. Garnish with more parsley if you like, and serve hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 251kcalCarbohydrates: 40.7gProtein: 7.5gFat: 6.9gPotassium: 453mgFiber: 6.4gSugar: 4.4gCalcium: 40mgIron: 2.9mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know in the comments below!
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Vegan Boston Baked Beans »
About Vaishali
Hi! I'm Vaishali, a journalist turned food blogger. At Holy Cow Vegan I share easy, tasty recipes made with clean, wholesome ingredients that the entire family can enjoy.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Wiola
Delicious, easy recipe. I cook it on a regular basis. Thanks Vaishali!Reply
Daniela
Really delicious. Not our usual go to flavors but this dish makes you come back for another bite, then another, and another. Thank you!Reply
Sovery
What a well-thought-out recipe! Thank you!Reply
Stefan
I make this recipe all the time and the nori trick is really something else. Good vegan option that I can use in other recipes if wanting that anchovy taste. Thank you for this wonderful recipe, sometimes I just have a hankerin' for a very briny mealReply
Els
It's incredible how well the nori works! I think I wouldn't have tasted the difference if I hadn't made this myself.Thank you so much for sharing this, Vaishali!
Reply
Vaishali
Hi Els, so happy you enjoyed the puttanesca! Thanks for letting me know. The nori really does make all the difference. 🙂
Reply
Shambhavi Sahai
Really enjoyed this recipe!! Skipped the nori, and it really hit the spot ??
Thank you ?Reply
Vaishali
Awesome, so happy to hear!
Reply
5 from 40 votes (12 ratings without comment)
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