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Pickle Puttanesca is an innovative riff on traditional, southern Italian pasta alla puttanesca, substituting briny pickles and pickle juice for capers in what’s sure to be a fun, new classic! Plus, it’s ready in only thirty minutes with mostly pantry staples. Read on for more!
Pasta with a side of pickles??? Um, yes please!
If you haven’t noticed, pickles are having a moment, you guys! The retail food world, restaurants and social media have been abundant with everything from pickle lemonade to pickle martinis to pickle-flavored popcorn and much more lately.
Why? Well, nostalgia for one. The continual desire for new flavor combinations another. Pickles’ bold, briny and salty flavors can be a real boon in some unexpected foods and a refreshing enhancement in others.
For something a bit unique, I’ll actually switch out my usual chicken cutlet recipe for a pickle-juice brined chicken cutlet sometimes with amazing results! And these Italian pickled mushrooms are always a hit when I make them.
Here, I’ve taken an already intensely-flavored, popular, classic Italian pasta sauce (that just happens to be one of my favorites) and switched out sharp, tangy capers for crunchy, briny dill pickles. The result is, quite honestly, outstanding! Pickle Puttanesca is the new puttanesca!
Pasta alla puttanesca literally translates to “prostitute’s pasta”. One legend says that it is so called because it was easily and quickly prepared in-between clients, while another says that its seductive aroma was used to lure potential clientele!
Whatever the origin, this dish is a winner for sure. Its pungent flavor combo of anchovies, olives, garlic, red pepper flakes, white wine, oregano and, here, crunchy dill pickles (in place of traditional capers) in a savory tomato sauce tossed with your favorite pasta is aromatic, savory, umami-rich and ready in about thirty minutes with pantry staples. Hope you give this easy recipe a try. Mangia bene!
How to Make Pickle Puttanesca Pasta
- Prep and gather all ingredients. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Lightly chop the anchovies, pickles and olives. Chop the garlic.
- Combine olive oil, anchovies, garlic and red pepper flakes in large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to allow the garlic to soften and brown lightly and the anchovies to dissolve, stirring a few times. Take care not to burn the garlic!
- Then add the olives and half the chopped pickles to the pan and increase the heat to medium high. Cook for a few minutes only, stirring regularly.
- Next, pour in the wine and pickle juice and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits.
- Stir in the tomatoes, dried oregano and black pepper, and bring to a light simmer. Reduce heat if necessary to maintain a low simmer. Simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes stirring occasionally so that the sauce does not stick or burn.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, or about 2 minutes before you think it is al dente. Be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
- When the pasta is ready, transfer it to the sauce along with about ½ cup of the starchy pasta water (to start) and the remaining chopped pickles. Stir well to fully combine all ingredients and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce and absorb all of those wonderful flavors! Add additional pasta water if more moisture is needed.
- Once the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat and finish with a drizzle of high-quality extra–virgin olive oil. Garnish with some fresh oregano and/or dill (optional) and enjoy. That’s it!
If you love caper and olives, also check out these recipes: Sicilian Caponata Relish, Sautéed Calamari, Peperonata Sauteed Bell Peppers, Olive Oil Potato Salad and St. Joseph’s Spaghetti with Breadcrumbs.
TOP TIPS FOR PICKLE PUTTANESCA
- Pickle Variety: Basic dill or Kosher dill pickles work best in this recipe, but you can use half sours or cornichons. I don’t recommend sweet or bread-and-butter pickles as their sweetness would be odd in this dish.
- Pickles Divided: Be sure to divide the amount of chopped pickles as half gets added to the pan along with the olives early in the cooking process, while the other half gets added to the sauce at the end as the same time as the pasta. This results in a really nice crunchy texture in the final dish.
- Pasta Water: The pasta water is key! Add it to the sauce along with the pasta for the additional moisture needed to finish cooking the pasta.
- Finish Cooking Pasta in Sauce: One of the most important steps in this recipe! The pickle puttanesca sauce has such incredible flavor. This flavor will get absorbed by the pasta, creating such amazing taste, by letting it finish cooking for its last 1 to 2 minutes in the sauce itself. So, be sure to pull the pasta out of the boiling water about 2 minutes before it is al dente, or about 2 minutes less than the package directions, and transfer it to the sauce to finish cooking.
- Salt: You may not need any salt in this recipe due to the high salt content of the anchovies, pickles, pickle juice and olives. Taste test the finished pasta at the end and to determine if any salt is needed to your own taste.
- Olive Oil: Don’t forget to drizzle the finished dish with some high quality, extra-virgin olive oil for an additional hit of flavor and richness.
- Recipe Substitutions:
- No pickles? No problem. Go old school with capers but use half the amount of the pickles and add them all to the pan along with the olives. Or, just follow this spaghetti puttanesca recipe here.
- Use 3 to 4 tsp anchovy paste as a substitute for anchovy filets and increase the olive oil by 2 tsp.
- Make the sauce extra spicy by adding 1 to 2 tsp Calabrian chili paste to the pan along with the garlic.
- Recipe Variations:
- While optional, adding some chopped fresh dill and/or oregano to the finished pasta really brings it over the top!
- Sometimes, I’ll fold in a large handful of either baby spinach or baby arugula to the dish at the same time that I add the pasta to the sauce. They wilt quickly and add great color and nutrients to the pickle puttanesca pasta.
- Want to make this pasta more protein-rich and hearty? Add 2 (5-ounce) cans tuna in olive oil to the sauce at the same time as the tomatoes.
- Anchovies: If you are truly anti-anchovy, you can omit them. But, keep in mind that the final flavor of the dish will be different and that you’ll be missing out on some really great umami!
- Don’t forget to drizzle some homemade spicy pepper oil over the finished dish!
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them, covered, in a small skillet over medium low heat with a little bit of water until heated through.
I hope that you are enjoying my Italian food blog and all of my Italian recipes and Italian-American recipes!
If you’ve tried this Pickle Puttanesca Pasta recipe, please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
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Pickle Puttanesca Pasta
Equipment
- Large Sauté Pan or Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil + additional for finishing
- 1 (2-ounces) tin anchovies with oil, lightly chopped
- 2 Tbsp chopped garlic (use as much or as little as you like!)
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (use more or less to your taste)
- 8 ounces dill pickles drained and lightly chopped (about 8 – quarter pickle spears), divided (See Notes.)
- ⅓ cup pitted and lightly chopped black oil-cured olives (about 4 ounces)
- ½ cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio
- ½ cup pickle juice (from pickle jar)
- 1 (28-ounces) can tomatoes (See Notes.)
- ¾ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 pound pasta + salt for pasta water
- 2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (optional)
- To taste salt
- Garnish: fresh dill and/or oregano (optional)
Instructions
- Prep and gather all ingredients according to specifications above. Put a large pot of water on to boil.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Combine olive oil, anchovies, garlic and red pepper flakes in large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to allow the garlic to soften and brown lightly and the anchovies to dissolve, stirring a few times. Take care not to burn the garlic!3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 (2-ounces) tin anchovies with oil,, 2 Tbsp chopped garlic, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- Then add the olives and half the chopped pickles to the pan and increase the heat to medium high. Cook for a few minutes only, stirring regularly. Keep an eye that the garlic does not burn. (Optional: Before adding the liquids, pull some of the garlic/olive/pickle mixture out of the pan and set aside to use as a garnish for serving.)⅓ cup pitted and lightly chopped black oil-cured olives
- Next, pour in the wine and pickle juice and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits.½ cup dry white wine, ½ cup pickle juice
- Stir in the tomatoes, dried oregano and black pepper, and bring to a light simmer. Reduce heat if necessary to maintain a low simmer. Simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes stirring occasionally so that the sauce does not stick or burn.1 (28-ounces) can tomatoes, ¾ tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp black pepper
- Meanwhile, once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, or about 2 minutes before you think it is al dente. Be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.1 pound pasta
- When the pasta is ready, transfer it to the sauce along with about ½ cup of the starchy pasta water (to start) and the remaining chopped pickles. Stir well to fully combine all ingredients and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce and absorb all of those wonderful flavors! Add the additional pasta water if more moisture is needed.
- Once the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat, fold in the (optional) fresh dill, if including, and finish with a drizzle of high-quality extra–virgin olive oil.
- Garnish with some fresh oregano and/or dill (optional), transfer to a serving platter and enjoy. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- Basic dill or Kosher dill pickles work best in this recipe, but you can use half sours or cornichons. I don’t recommend sweet or bread-and-butter pickles as their sweetness would be odd in this dish.
- Be sure to divide the amount of chopped pickles as half gets added to the pan along with the olives early in the cooking process, while the other half gets added to the sauce at the end as the same time as the pasta. This results in a really nice crunchy texture in the final dish.
- I used canned cherry and crushed tomatoes here but you can use whatever type of canned tomato that you have on hand. If starting with canned whole tomatoes, lightly hand-crush them before adding them to the pan.
- I used spaghetti here but this recipe will work with most long and short pastas. Some other favorites are linguine, bucatini, penne and rigatoni.
- The pasta water is key! Add it to the sauce along with the pasta for the additional moisture needed to finish cooking the pasta.
- You may not need any salt in this recipe due to the high salt content of the anchovies, pickles, pickle juice and olives. Taste test the finished pasta at the end and to determine if any salt is needed to your own taste.
- Don’t forget to drizzle the finished dish with some high quality, extra-virgin olive oil for an additional hit of flavor and richness.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them, covered, in a small skillet over medium low heat with a little bit of water until heated through.
Love, Love, Love making pasta puttanesca with pickles for something fun and different!