Pasta alla puttanesca

Begin by prepping your ingredients.

Grate the Parmesan cheese and chop the parsley, setting them aside in separate containers.

Coarsely chop the garlic, onion, anchovies, olives, and capers, keeping each in its own container for easy access during cooking.

Hand-crush the tomatoes, breaking them down into smaller pieces until you have a relatively smooth (but not too smooth) sauce.

Prep is done!

Set a pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta.

Heat a pan over medium heat.

Drizzle in the olive oil in the pan and add the onion, anchovies, and red pepper flakes.

Sauté these for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and the anchovies have melted into the oil.

Add the capers, olives, and garlic to the pan. Continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes and let them simmer for another 2 - 3 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat for the time being.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the package instructions. But cook it for 1-2 minutes less, the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce.

When the pasta starts to become ready, reheat the sauce over medium heat.

Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce and mix well. If needed, add a few splashes of pasta water to help thicken the sauce.

Allow the pasta and sauce to cook together for an additional 1-2 minutes until it gets a bit more creamy in its consistency.

Sprinkle in the chopped parsley and some of the grated Parmesan, stirring until everything is well combined.

Serve your Pasta alla Puttanesca hot, garnished with a little more Parmesan, olive oil and a twist of fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Enjoy this rustic Italian classic!