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 whore'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 Fagioli 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 Slut'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!
Related recipes
- 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:
Recipe card
Vegan Pasta alla Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti (or any similar long pasta)
- 2 tablespoon nori (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)
- 28 oz canned San Marzano tomatoes (place in a bowl and crush whole tomatoes with fingers)
- 1 cup Kalamata olives (roughly chopped)
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup parsley (chopped)
- 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 Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Ellen says
So excited to try this as vegan and gluten free.
Dana Amey says
I shared on Pinterest and can't wait to try this recipe out...it looks delicious. I've made many of your recipes and have never been disappointed. Thank you for the fabulous blog!
Terry Chretien says
Definitely making this for dinner tonight! And I shared it on Facebook too!! My FB profile name is Goliath Croix.
Aimee B. says
This looks fantastic! I shared to Facebook. Thank you. <3
sarah dunsbee says
Shared to the vegan womble Facebook page again,love your recipes x
Madison Meredith says
~shared this recipe in a chat group with my friends~
Relatively simple and elegant noodle meals are my favorite, along with Asian flavorful dishes. Added to the fact that seaweed was combined in this pasta recipe, makes it right up my alley.
Thanks for the recipe and a wonderfully relatable story <3
Patricia Wojnar Crowley says
Shared on twitter!
https://twitter.com/tcrowley122/status/881561227918536704
Sharon says
I would love to win the pots and pans ! Will be sharing this recipe on a Facebook page that I share with other plant based friends. Have enjoyed your recipe posts and hope to try this one later in the week.
Sue Hegle says
The pasta sounds delicious, and those pots and pans are beautiful! I shared on my Facebook wall.
Leslie Grabowski says
I was just looking for new pots and pans! I shared on Facebook, but for some reason the photo didn't load. 🙁
Jennifer says
Shared this recipe on pinterest. onerawbite
I can't wait to try this- probably in the winter when I have less produce. Right now my fridge is packed with veggies to cook with.
Bliss Susan says
Whoops. My smart-alec computer decided I meant pulse, but what I actually meant was dulse, "a wild Atlantic sea vegetable."
Bliss Susan says
The seaweed idea for anchovies is brilliant! I also found the suggestion from Bryanna Clark Grogan of using light miso, so I combined the ideas: 1 tablespoon miso, a leaf of pulverized pulse, and 1/2 teaspoon of tamari. The mixture even looks like pureed anchovies and tastes close, very close, to anchovies. Thanks for your idea.
Vaishali Honawar says
Sounds amazing!
Ellen Lederman says
I was perusing One Green Planet, which showcases so many great vegan recipes from all over the wen. Saw Pasta Puttanesca. Looked and sounded wonderful. So I made it last night, even though Andy was a little concerned that I'd never get the spice grinder clean enough after the seaweed to grind up some flax seeds the next day to sprinkle on our granola. But once he saw how it looked and tasted it, he agreed that it was well worth any resistant smells on the spice grinder (which cleaned up really well).
This was heavenly. So deep and complex. Pure umami. Grinding up the seaweed in the grinder is genius. I served it over spiralized zucchini.
So---this morning I went onto OGP to see who created the recipe, so I could thank them and follow his/her blog. And it was none other than.....beloved Vaishali! I should have guessed....
I loved your write-up of this. On OGP, it was very condensed (and "cleaned" up---maybe the slut thing was too much for them?).
Vaishali says
Hi Ellen, that's such a coincidence! 🙂 So glad you found the slut's spaghetti post, and enjoyed the dish! It's one of my favorite creations and I think the seaweed-tamari combination works better anyday than anchovies did. Happy you and Andy enjoyed it. And serving over zucchini sounds wonderful.
Glad you liked the write-up too. 🙂
El Barto says
This is pretty random, but I was searching for a vegan alternative to anchovies for a food52 dish that needed them, and came across this. Was skeptical for the dish in question, but your suggestion worked great. Good stuff, thanks.
Vaishali says
El Barto, that's wonderful. I am glad you tried it.
Anonymous says
YUM, so glad I found this blog
Brissy Bron says
Yay! I've been searching for anchovy substitute for just this recipe. I LOVE slutty spag. It's my favourite, and, I too have not bothered making it since becoming vegan. Thanks!
Irene @ H.V.R. says
Looks yummy and enticing! I bet this would really be a winner when I serve this to our coming get together. Thanks for the blog.
the five o'clock teaspoon says
Brilliant substitution! So happy to have found your blog:)
the five o'clock teaspoon says
Brilliant substitution! So happy to have found your blog:)
appetiteaffliction.com says
Haha! I totally love the way you used the word slut without blinking like - "what? that's what it means!".
Santosh Bangar says
delicious yummy.....
Priya says
Looks wonderful and delicious..
anthony stemke says
This is a brilliant use of nori and tamari, I can tell it will be delicious.
Somehow, to me at least, puttanesca sounds better than slut or whore, I guess it's the romance language thing. Like Potage au pommes de terre sounds better than Potato soup. Anglo-saxon language is different which is why Bubble and squeak doesn't sound as good as, say, pot au feu.
But, what's in a name huh?
Skay says
SUPER idea, Vaishali to substitute Nori for anchovies! I simply have GOT to try this now. Thank you much!
Richa says
yummm.. always fun to see that the fave dishes can all be made with non animal ingredients!!
the sauce and the pasta look super inviting!
Hope you all are doing good.
Richa @ Hobby And More Vegan Food Blog
Hobby And More on Facebook
Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal says
I agree, I love Puttanesca sauce and angel hair pasta combination 🙂
Ammu's says
It's healthy & Delicious...
Caitlin says
this looks delicious! i love when pasta has a lot of elements added to it 😉
Sharmilee! :) says
Delicious sphagetti
Lesley Rice says
Oh my days. Absolutely delicious.