Quick and Easy Puttanesca Sauce: Satisfy Your Italian Cravings Guilt-free

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”.

IMG_3359

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:

1 can diced, no-salt added tomatoes
1/2 can tomato paste (approx. 3 oz)
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
small handful of basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 C diced Kalamata olives
1/4 C capers
Directions:
  1. Dice olives and set aside both the capers and olives.
  2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender, and mix until well combined.
  3. Place blender contents in a pan over medium-high heat.
  4. Bring to boil, cover, and then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. Add capers and olives to pot and let cook uncovered for another 5 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat, combine with your choice of “pasta” and protein, and enjoy!

Leave a comment