Pasta Puttanesca

I fell in love with pasta puttanesca at one of my favorite hometown Italian spots, Michaelangelo's. I could not believe that little tiny capers provided so much delicious flavor. Imagine my joy when I discovered that puttanesca sauce is literally one of the easiest things to make. I have been making pasta puttanesca in many variations for a long time, and tonight I made it for the first time since being a vegan. I also made it with no oil at all, and it was still so flavorful. I used some spinach fusili but you could really use any type of pasta. This is a great low fat dish with so much incredible flavor. I think I did my hometown favorite proud!

Pasta Puttanesca

• 1 box of vegan pasta
• 2, 15 oz. cans fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles and/or garlic
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce 
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup capers
• 1/4 cup black pitted olives, chopped
• 1 tbsp. red chili paste
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste (I used a lot!)
• 3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped coarsely

1. Cook the pasta as per the directions. As the pasta is cooking, start the sauce.
2. In a large sauce pan, sautee the onion, scallion, and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes
3. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, capers, olives, red chili paste, olives, and seasonings. Start with small amounts with the seasoning, and continue to taste and add to your liking. I probably added about 1 tsp. of red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp. cayenne. It was perfectly spicy for me, but be careful of making it too spicy.
4. Cover the sauce and let simmer on medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally 
5. Strain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the sauce to the pasta and stir together well.
6. Add the fresh parsley and mix.
7. Serve warm and enjoy!