I love the deep, rich, complex flavors that are found throughout Italian cuisine, yet I shy away from eating out at Italian restaurants for two reasons: 1) with a gluten-intolerance, finding a meal I can eat is much harder (even with gluten-free pasta…its just not the same as the real thing!) and 2) being health-conscious, the traditionally large portions served and generous use of heavy, calorie ridden ingredients, such as cream, cheese, carbohydrates, and butter, make it hard to choose a menu item which will not account for nearly all your recommended daily calories and leave you feeling like you’ve eaten too much. Given these constraints, I have instead resorted to cooking my own healthier takes on Italian dishes, and this recipe has quickly become my favorite “red sauce”.
Puttanesca sauce is traditionally made with capers, anchovies, olives, and some sort of spice to give it a kick. I am not a fan of anchovies, so I have created an anchovy-free version of this classic recipe, using a generous amount of cayenne to give the sauce some heat. In this rendition, I have used Shirataki noodles as my “pasta-like” base. These noodles are made from tofu and are a great, low-calorie alternative if you are looking for a low-carb, light base with which to smother in this puttanesca sauce. The sauce is also delicious over regular pasta, spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, rice, or even as a sauce for pizza. I topped my puttanesca with a mixture of shrimp, calamari, and scallops which can be found in the frozen fish section of Trader Joe’s. If you haven’t tried these, I HIGHLY recommend it. The package is reasonably priced, easy to defrost, and cooks in minutes for a quick weeknight meal. You could, however, sub any protein as an accompaniment for this puttanesca or sauté up some mushrooms for a vegetarian alternative. It also pairs well with the sundries tomato and feta meatballs recipe I posted a while back! Give this recipe a try when your next Italian craving hits!
Puttanesca Ingredients:
- Dice olives and set aside both the capers and olives.
- Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender, and mix until well combined.
- Place blender contents in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Bring to boil, cover, and then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add capers and olives to pot and let cook uncovered for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, combine with your choice of “pasta” and protein, and enjoy!