Of all the pasta dishes I’ve made, pasta puttanesca holds a special place for me. This fragrant dish is made with tomatoes, olive oil, olives, capers, garlic and anchovies. It’s definitely my go-to pasta dish.

Some say that the name originated in the brothels of the Spanish Quarters (whore is puttana in Italian, hence puttanesca); others claim it was invented in the 1950s in a famous Ischia restaurant when a group of hungry customers asked the owner to make “una puttanata qualsiasi” – to throw together whatever ingredients he had, to make something simple. The owner only had some tomatoes, olives and capers, and that’s how he came up with the puttanesca sauce. Wherever the name comes from, it sure packs a flavourful punch.

For this recipe I’ve omitted the anchovies even though they add so much flavour to the dish and I love them so much. I’ve also switched the spaghetti with a tangle of zucchini noodles. I’m ready with my fork, to twirl and slurp up a mouthful of these “noodles” with my favourite sauce.

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Zucchini Noodles with Olives and Capers

Course Main Course

Ingredients

• 3 zucchini spiralized
• ½ cup low sodium vegetable stock
• ½ onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 cup passata
• ½ cup mixed olives pitted and sliced
• 1 tbsp capers
• 2 tsp chili flakes or hot chili sauce
• 1 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup fresh basil chopped (1 tbsp if using dried basil)

Instructions

• Spiralize zucchini noodles and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat ½ the vegetable stock over medium heat.
• Add onion and garlic and cook stirring until softened.
• Add the other half of the vegetable stock, passata, olives, capers and chili flakes and stir until combined.
• Cook uncovered for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
• Add the oregano, salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
• Add the zucchini noodles and fresh basil once the sauce has cooled and stir/toss until all the noodles are coated with the sauce.
• Serve at room temperature.
• Top with parmesan cheese for the non-vegan option.