Roasted Tomato Linguine Puttanesca
Spicy, briny, and oh-so flavorful, this roasted tomato linguine puttanesca is easy to put together and virtually fool-proof. Most of all, it’s delicious!
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Puttanesca is one of my favorite pasta dishes, irresistible with its medley of olives, capers, and anchovies clinging to slippery strands of linguine. Its rousing flavors are enough to keep the fork twirling, but the inclusion of smoky roasted tomatoes and a crunchy breadcrumb topping make it a contender for one of my desert island foods. I’m also looking at you, Italian sausage and peppers.
Although pasta alla puttanesca is traditionally made with tomato sauce, it’s equally delicious with roasted cherry tomatoes. Sure, you lose the sauce, but the simplicity of the roasted tomatoes allows the other flavors to flex their pungency a little more.
The overall result also feels a little lighter—even if that makes reaching for seconds more likely. But, if you’re anything like me, you rarely eat pasta without reaching for seconds.
Anyhow, if you’ve been peeking around this blog for a while, you might have noticed I’m a big fan of toasted panko breadcrumbs. They’re an excellent substitute for when Parmesan isn’t recommended or even when it is. Not surprisingly, these breadcrumbs are a wonderful addition here thanks to their garlicky crunch.
Why You’ll Love This Roasted Tomato Linguine Puttanesca
- It’s a twist on the classic: Roasted cherry tomatoes and a crispy panko topping are a nice change to the traditional marinara sauce.
- It relies (mainly) on pantry ingredients: The ability to make something so flavorful with mostly pantry ingredients is always a win-win.
- This recipe comes together quickly: The only real cooking involved are the tomatoes and linguine.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Be sure it’s extra virgin. EVOO = more flavor!
- Cherry Tomatoes: You can also use grape tomatoes.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Don’t sub with fine or fresh breadcrumbs.
- Garlic Powder: This infuses the breadcrumbs with a sharp garlic flavor.
- Linguine: Any other long pasta will work. Short pasta is also good, but don’t use anything too small.
- Fresh Garlic: This adds lots of flavor to the “sauce.”
- Red Pepper Flakes: Good for a touch of heat.
- Anchovies: If you don’t like anchovies, don’t worry. You won’t know they’re there.
- Kalamata Olives: Don’t use canned black olives. They need to be flavorful.
- Capers: These add an extra briny flavor to the linguine.
- Flat-Leaf Italian Parsley: Optional, but good for color, texture, and freshness.
See the recipe card below for more information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Roasted Tomato Linguine Puttanesca
- Roast the tomatoes: Toss the sliced tomatoes on a large baking sheet with olive oil. Place the tomatoes skin side down and cook them in the oven at 400F until soft and slightly charred at the bottoms, 15 to 30 minutes.
- Boil the linguine: Cook the linguine until al dente and reserve some pasta water.
- Toast the panko breadcrumbs: Toast them in a pan on the stovetop with olive oil and garlic powder until lightly golden.
- Make the puttanesca sauce: Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the fresh garlic. Add the red pepper flakes, stirring them quickly, then add the anchovies and cook until they dissolve. Stir in the tomatoes, olives, and capers and heat them through.
- Toss with the linguine: Toss the puttanesca sauce with the linguine, adding some reserved pasta water to loosen everything.
- Finish: Serve the linguine and garnish it with the toasted panko breadcrumbs and fresh minced parsley.
Pro Tips
Use as many or as few olives, capers, and anchovies as you like: I think this recipe needs more of everything than it might if making it with marinara sauce because you don’t have the sauce here to help “carry” the ingredients. However, this is a forgiving recipe, so feel free to reduce the amount of olives, capers, or anchovies or increase them according to your taste.
Measure the amount of cherry tomatoes needed after roasting them: The tomatoes will shrink as they roast, but 2 10-ounce containers yield about 1 cup (or a little more) cooked, which this recipe calls for.
Check for pits: If your olives aren’t pitted, be sure to un-pit, de-pit, or whatever-pit before you use them!
Suggestions for Variations and Substitutions
- You can replace the cherry tomatoes with grape or any other small tomato.
- You can swap the linguine with any other pasta. Just don’t use anything too small.
- Use any olives you like. Kalamata olives are easy to find and delicious, but there are so many wonderful black and even green olives that would work well here, such as Gaeta, Nicoise, and Castelvetrano.
- Sautée some minced onions or shallots with the garlic. It’s not traditional here, but neither are roasted tomatoes.
Recipe FAQs
Not completely, as traditional puttanesca is typically made with tomato sauce.
Yes, you can, but I don’t recommend it. If you don’t like anchovies, you won’t even notice them in this recipe. Their fishy taste disappears once they dissolve into the olive oil, imparting a wonderful, umami flavor.
Of course! You can use another long pasta like spaghetti or linguine, or a short pasta like penne or rigatoni. However, I don’t recommend using very small pasta, like ditalini or small pasta shells, as they’re too delicate for this “sauce.”
Storage
Refrigerator
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3 days.
Freezer
This pasta won’t taste very good if frozen.
Reheat
Reheat in the oven at 300F to 350F, covered, until warmed through. You can also microwave it in a microwave-safe container.
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Linguine Puttanesca
Ingredients
For the Roasted Tomatoes
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 10-ounce packages cherry tomatoes sliced lengthwise (Note 1)
For the Panko Breadcrumb Topping
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For the Linguine Puttanesca
- 16 ounces linguine (Note 2)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves peeled and sliced thin
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- 6 anchovy fillets
- 1 cup Kalamata olives sliced lengthwise (Note 3)
- 2 tablespoons capers
- Italian flat-leaf parsley handful, minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Add the sliced tomatoes to a large sheet pan and toss with the olive oil and some salt. Assemble the tomatoes skin side down, and roast them in the oven on the bottom rack for about 30 minutes until they start to shrivel and the bottoms get a little charred. If you're roasting tomatoes for the first time, check them after 15 minutes and then every few minutes after that in case your oven runs hotter.4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 10-ounce packages cherry tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the linguine until al dente or until it reaches the desired tenderness.16 ounces linguine; ½ cup extra virgin olive oil; 6 thinly sliced garlic cloves;
- Meanwhile, heat the oil for the panko in a large pan (You'll use the same pan later to prepare the puttanesca "sauce.") Throw in a couple of granules of panko; if they sizzle, throw in the rest with the granulated garlic and a pinch of salt. Toss frequently until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown, then transfer them to a small bowl. Carefully wipe the inside of the pan with a paper towel to remove any remaining crumbs, which might burn later if left behind. 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; ½ cup panko breadcrumbs; ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Following the linguine section in the recipe card, heat the olive oil in the same pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, stir them quickly for a few seconds, then add the anchovies. Break up the anchovies into the oil until they almost dissolve.16 ounces linguine; 6 thinly sliced garlic cloves; ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 6 anchovy fillets
- Toss in the tomatoes, olives, and capers, and stir with the other ingredients, heating everything through for 1 to 2 minutes.1 cup cooked cherry tomatoes; 1 cup Kalamata olives, sliced lengthwise; 2 tablespoons capers
- Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining the linguine. Toss the linguine with the tomato mixture, and add some of the pasta water to "loosen" the sauce. Serve and garnish with the panko breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if desired. Enjoy!Italian flat-leaf parsley, minced
