Garlicky Puttanesca Pasta Salad

I spotted this recipe on the Food and Wine website – a recipe by Ann Taylor Pittman, published on 08-2019. Just the word “puttanesca” got my attention since it’s probably my favorite pasta if I was forced to choose.

I was curious about this recipe. What makes this pasta a salad? It utilizes casarecce shaped pasta, cherry tomatoes, olives, garlic, anchovies, prosciutto, and capers. The difference is that a vinaigrette is added! I had to make it.

If you want to know more about Ann Taylor Pittman, she has a website. She has published one cookbook on her own, titled
Everyday Whole Grains, and one for Cooking Light magazine, co-authored with Scott Mowbray, which garnered a James Beard award.

I’ve recently learned about real Sicilian capers, and used these in this recipe, thanks to Amazon, of course.


 

Warm, Garlicky Puttanesca Pasta Salad

Printable recipe below

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced shallot (from 1 medium shallot)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 large garlic clove, grated
12 ounces uncooked casarecce pasta
4 (1/2-ounce) prosciutto slices
3 oil-packed anchovies, finely chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Castelvetrano olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons drained nonpareil capers
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper, for garnish (optional)

Place tomatoes in a medium bowl; sprinkle with salt and ground pepper, and toss to combine. Add shallot, oil, vinegar, and garlic; toss well. Let stand at room temperature at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid; drain pasta.

Place 2 prosciutto slices on paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on HIGH until crisp, 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining 2 prosciutto slices.

Drain tomato mixture over a bowl, reserving liquid. Combine warm pasta, anchovies, tomato liquid, and 1/3 cup cooking liquid in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook until sauce slightly thickens and coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in drained tomato mixture, sliced basil, olives, oregano, and capers. Crumble prosciutto over pasta; garnish with basil leaves and, if desired, cracked pepper.

Believe it or not, this didn’t turn out quite as well as I’d hoped.

I love all of the elements, but it somehow didn’t work. I think I miss the sauciness of Puttanesca.

And I wasn’t comparing it to pasta puttanesca, because there was no real similarity.

However, you might like it!

 

 

By Published On: September 16th, 202235 Comments on Garlicky Puttanesca Pasta Salad

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

35 Comments

  1. Bernadette September 16, 2022 at 6:30 AM - Reply

    Mimi, it is a shame it wasn’t as flavorful as you would have liked because it sure is pretty.

    • Chef Mimi September 16, 2022 at 7:14 PM - Reply

      I think it’s just not a warm puttanesca. I am just not sure!!!

  2. Mary September 16, 2022 at 6:39 AM - Reply

    I think it probably has all the makings of a Puttanesca sauce but I generally like it hot. But if you think of it as a salad then I’m sure it will be lovely.
    The comment box is only showing 1/4” line and I can’t see what I have written. Hope it makes sense. Rather disconcerting not to be able to see what you’ve written. :))

    • Chef Mimi September 16, 2022 at 7:13 PM - Reply

      I’m sorry. I hate when stuff like that happens.

  3. David Scott Allen September 16, 2022 at 3:08 PM - Reply

    I like the not-saucy look of this – very appealing! I, too, love puttanesca – one of the first sauces I learned to make.

    • Chef Mimi September 16, 2022 at 7:13 PM - Reply

      I don’t know why this didn’t work for me. Maybe I prefer the pasta as a warm dish?

      • David Scott Allen September 19, 2022 at 5:47 PM

        I guess I look at it as a completely different dish. I don’t eat many pasta salads — most are just “meh.” But, if I were to eat one, this appeals a lot.

      • Chef Mimi September 19, 2022 at 6:24 PM

        I do like them! I guess I love all the goodies in pasta salads! But this one was only meh to me. Go figure!

  4. Charlie DeSando September 16, 2022 at 4:01 PM - Reply

    Anchovies make Puttanesca the great dish it is. And most people don’t even know they are eating anchovies

    • Chef Mimi September 16, 2022 at 7:12 PM - Reply

      I know! They just assume they’re horrible!

  5. Tandy I Lavender and Lime September 17, 2022 at 12:18 AM - Reply

    This is also one of my favourite pastas. But I just cannot eat a pasta salad. I don’t like cold pasta at all.

    • Chef Mimi September 17, 2022 at 10:23 AM - Reply

      This wasn’t cold. That would have been terrible.

  6. Sherry M September 17, 2022 at 2:01 AM - Reply

    so many flavours going on here mimi. sounds amazing and looks colourful.

    • Chef Mimi September 17, 2022 at 10:22 AM - Reply

      Thanks, Sherry!

  7. Frank Fariello September 18, 2022 at 6:43 AM - Reply

    By funny coincidence we had puttanesca just last night. The “regular” kind, that is which we love. I think I’d really like this dish but without the vinaigrette. As a sort of puttanesca “a crudo”.

    • Chef Mimi September 18, 2022 at 7:03 AM - Reply

      I love puttanesca. I love vinaigrettes. They just didn’t go well together.

  8. Cynthia | What A Girl Eats September 18, 2022 at 8:11 PM - Reply

    I love how easy this is. Perfect for a weeknight meal.

  9. Ronit September 18, 2022 at 10:18 PM - Reply

    Love this take on Putanesca, which, at least for me, means cooked tomato sauce based dish.
    Interestingly, this was a pasta salad week for me as well. Maybe it’s something in the air! :)

    • Chef Mimi September 19, 2022 at 6:57 AM - Reply

      I think it’s just a summer thing!

  10. Velva Knapp September 20, 2022 at 12:12 PM - Reply

    What I loved about this recipe was the ingredients were relatively few but, the seasonings including capers really were the stars in this dish…. Very nice. I am disappointed that it was not quite as good you had imagined.

    • Chef Mimi September 20, 2022 at 1:39 PM - Reply

      Yes, I agree great. Great ingredients, but somehow it just didn’t work for me! Moving on!

  11. John / Kitchen Riffs September 21, 2022 at 9:43 AM - Reply

    Probably one of my favorite pastas is puttanesca, so the idea of this sure appeals to me. Too bad it wasn’t quite what you had hoped for. Nice idea, though. And thanks for the info on those capers! I need to get some. :-)

    • Chef Mimi September 21, 2022 at 9:54 AM - Reply

      Mine, too, but it somehow didn’t work for me as a salad. I’ll stick with the original!

  12. Raymund September 21, 2022 at 5:54 PM - Reply

    Ohhh what a nice summer pasta salad, its getting hot in here so I will be trying this out soon. Love a nice putanesca

    • Chef Mimi September 22, 2022 at 6:48 AM - Reply

      And here I’m counting the minutes till cooler weather!

  13. Debra September 22, 2022 at 6:43 PM - Reply

    I can see how you might be a little disappointed if you’re making a direct comparison to Puttanesca, but it sounds, and looks, really delicious. I think there are a lot of ingredients with with stand-out flavors, so the combination looks really amazing to me. I never identified casarecce pasta by name before. Now I know. :-)

    • Chef Mimi September 23, 2022 at 7:09 AM - Reply

      So many pasta shapes, so little time!!!

  14. Angela September 22, 2022 at 9:53 PM - Reply

    Looks beautiful and delicious 😋

    • Chef Mimi September 23, 2022 at 7:06 AM - Reply

      Thank you Angela!

  15. Alessia di Piattoranocchio September 25, 2022 at 12:07 PM - Reply

    Ottima !!

    • Chef Mimi September 25, 2022 at 6:44 PM - Reply

      Grazie!

  16. Valentina September 27, 2022 at 5:14 PM - Reply

    What a colorful dish. I always gravitate towards puttanesca sauce. I just love the strong flavors and the more garlic the better! :-) ~Valentina

    • Chef Mimi September 27, 2022 at 5:15 PM - Reply

      Absolutely! It’s probably my favorite, but I also love trapanese.

  17. Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina October 23, 2022 at 12:46 PM - Reply

    Puttanesca is one of my family’s all-time favorites! I love all of the green olives included to give it that special tang! Beautiful too, Miss Mimi

    • Chef Mimi October 23, 2022 at 12:47 PM - Reply

      Thanks so much Roz!

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