Tell me all you want that I’m in a puttanesca rut. As long as olives + capers + tomatoes still tastes delicious, I’ll be continuing to cook various iterations of that combo. I learned about the one-pot pasta technique when a friend of mine forwarded this Italian wonderpot recipe to me. I knew immediately that one pot spaghetti alla puttanesca was going to be our next Sunday dinner.
I don’t blame you for being skeptical, since I was too, about this idea of cooking the pasta directly in the sauce. But holy smokes, the pasta really was perfectly cooked, and it could not have been easier. The liquid, as promised, thickened up thanks to the starch in the pasta (here is the whole wheat spaghetti I often use), and formed a light, savory sauce. I foresee that a non-puttanesca iteration will also be happening very soon.
Update 8/2014: I love this recipe so much that I made another one pot pasta using fresh spring veggies (namely zucchini) and a white wine lemon sauce. I’m sure a summer variation will also be coming soon!
Update 4/2016: Yes, the one pot craze bit me hard. Check out my latest one pot recipes! One pot tandoori quinoa; one pot coconut curry pasta; one pot creamy vegan fettuccine alfredo; one pot Moroccan quinoa with red lentils.
Whether it’s puttanesca or not, I really do think you should try out this one pot pasta cooking method! It’s fast, easy, delicious, and pretty fun to make. Have a bountiful week and weekend!
One Pot Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca with Chickpeas & Artichoke Hearts
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 large white or yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 12 oz whole wheat spaghetti (see notes about substitutions)
- 2 oz sliced black olives (up to 4 oz. for olive lovers)
- 14 oz artichoke hearts rinsed and drained, and chopped
- 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 2 tbsp capers
- 14 oz. canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (reduce to 1/4 tsp. if sensitive to heat)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (reduce to 1/4 tsp. if freshly ground)
- salt to taste (see notes)
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Instructions
Warm the olive oil in a large, deep, skillet and then add the onions and garlic, stirring occasionally until just starting to turn golden.
Add the pasta to the skillet, breaking in half if needed (a saucepan may also work). Add the rest of the ingredients, minus the broth, to the pan on top of the pasta. Then pour the vegetable broth over everything.
Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a steady simmer (medium to medium-low heat) and, keeping covered & stirring occasionally, cook for 8-10 more minutes, or until pasta is done through to your liking.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
The starch from the whole wheat pasta thickens the broth into a mild sauce and that's what makes this recipe work its magic. Gluten-free pasta will have different results and may need different quantities of liquid. Check out the comments for some readers' experiences making this gluten-free. Regular (not whole wheat) pasta is what the original recipe used, and it called for more liquid (4 cups) because white pasta releases more starches. I personally have not tested with anything other than whole wheat.
My olives, artichoke hearts, chickpeas, capers, and tomatoes all came from (BPA-free) cans, so I found that I didn't need to add any salt, even with my homemade salt-free vegetable broth. It's easiest to salt to taste after the pasta is done cooking, but if none of your ingredients have salt added, I recommend adding a bit before cooking in order to get the same results that I did.
In my picture the onions are chopped, but they will do a better job cooking through if you mince them. Sorry for the visual deception.
Finally, I have heard some feedback that the leftovers can get soggy. I think you can minimize the chances of this by: 1) cooking the pasta to al dente, 2) tossing with a bit of olive oil before you store it, and/or 3) let it fully cool, uncovered, before storing.
(Adapted from Apron Strings.) And here’s the finished product! Not super stylish, but delicious. I didn’t stir it a whole lot during cooking – just enough to keep the noodles from sticking.
Enjoying this one pot pasta puttanesca? Try some of my other one pot meals:
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Ruth says
I’m in love with the whole concept of a ‘one-pot’ recipe, and determined to make this for my finnicky veggie-bashing husband. Unlike all the other husbands, however, he absolutely hated it, ceremoniously shoving it aside, and proceeding to be nauseous for the rest of the evening. How rude! I couldn’t help thinking “Yippee, more for me!!!” I took your advice and cooled thoroughly before packing away for my lunch the next day, as I wasn’t eating that night. I’d halved the recipe so I’d just have two portions, and the sizes were perfect. I added a 1/4tsp of Cayenne pepper for a little extra kick, but kept the olive measurements the same as I’m an Olive person. And I substituted Chick peas for Red Kidney beans because I’d run out. I LOVED it!!!! I will definitely be making again, but as only I will be eating it, do you think it will freeze well? I did look through all the comments, and one person, Deb, did mention that she would freeze, but no-one said if they’d been successful with freezing it. I will be scouring your website for more one-pot ideas!!!
Christine White says
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! And what’s more important is my mom likes it!! She lives with me now and is picky but likes this a lot. I didn’t have capers, but wanted the color so added frozen peas 😉 perfect.
Beth Fuchs says
I’m trying this for dinner tonight! I’m going to make a few modifications for my seriously meat-eater husband. I have some ground beef and a couple of portobello mushrooms. I’ll mince the mushroom to a very fine consistency, and add it along with the ground beef (I’m going to use 4 oz mushrooms and 8 oz ground beef) and brown that. I’ll definitely add more olives because we are olive people. I didn’t have canned chick peas, but do have dried, so I’ll make some chick peas (can you say hummus with the left-over cooked chick peas?). My last change will be cooking this in the instant pot rather than on top of the stove. The cook time for everything once mixed should be half the amount of time shown for cooking the pasta on the box (I’d make fresh pasta, but ready-made pasta will be better for this recipe). I’ll probably also add a splash or two of white wine along with the broth.
Meredith says
This recipe was easy to follow and not difficult to prepare. I love that the items can be found in my pantry on any given day. My husband and I both enjoyed it and it made great left overs for lunch. It even prompted a text from my husband while at work saying, “my lunch is amazing.” This will definitely be in our regular rotation. Thank you!
Heather says
Just wanted to say that I like your blog and this recipe. And to let you know that I think it’s really nice of you to respond to so many of these blog comments, especially the ones that come off so rude, and you reply back so nicely. Kudos to you.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks for your nice feedback, Heather 🙂
Cristine says
OMG! This recipe was SOOO good. I will be adding this into my personal recipe book. Thanks
Livi Bassett says
I made this for my housemates last week, and it was a big hit.
I used gluten free spaghetti – and just some advice if you are, don’t put the lid straight on to simmer when all ingredients are added. GF pasta sometimes sticks together in a big lump, so make sure you move it around for the first few minutes to makes sure it’s all separated.
I also had to add more liquid for the pasta to cook.
Otherwise it was perfect for vegan & gluten free!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks for sharing your experience and tips!
Stefanie says
This looks delicious and I’m excited to try it! I’m just curious how you obtained 108% of daily recommended intake for Iron. I have tried calculating the ingredients to see if I get that number, but I’m not even close. I am trying to boost my iron intake so that’s why I’m hoping I might be missing some key ingredient!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Stefanie, not quite sure, I’ve input the recipe as written to MyFitnessPal and that’s what it comes up with. I don’t get a breakdown for individual ingredients’ iron content. if I get a moment I’ll try investigating them one by one. I imagine between the whole wheat pasta, chickpeas, artichokes, and olives that this recipe is high in iron. but agree 108 seems high. I wonder if the MFP parser selected a fortified veggie broth or something like that.
Matt says
Have you tried to make this in a slow cooker? 4-5 hours cooking and cook pasta separately? Maybe add the artichokes and chickpeas the last 30 min to an hour of cooking so they are not mush. Loved the original when we tried it btw.
Christina says
I was wondering if there was a way to make this less carb heavy? My husband is diabetic and has pancreatic cancer and I’m just getting used to vegan cooking for a diabetic. Any advice would be great! Thanks 🙂
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Christina! I’m not sure if anyone has weighed in about trying out this recipe with a chickpea or lentil based pasta (higher protein to carb ratio). Some adjustments to the amount of liquid would be needed. Those pasta still have carbs so a better option may be to try a zoodle dish? I have a great avocado pesto zucchini noodle recipe with a lower carbohydrate profile. I’ll also note this as a request for more low-carb Italian inspired dishes! Sorry I can’t be more help — I don’t personal have experience with cooking for diabetics.
Jenny says
I made this tonight using gluten free noodles as a direct replacement for the whole wheat pasta. It wasn’t a good move. I will make this again, but next time I will cook the noodles separate and and combine them with the sauce after I’ve rinsed them off. Otherwise, my family really enjoyed this fish and I loved how easy it was to toss together!
Meagan says
I just made this for my Italian husband, who not so subtly declared that he does not like whole wheat pasta nor does he like pasta dishes made via one pot (and for me to not be offended when he doesn’t like it!). He ate every last bit off his plate. I did make a minor adjustment that adds a step but still keeps it one pot – I used a Dutch oven and sautéed the onions and garlic first, just to get the flavor going, and deglazed with a splash of the red wine I was drinking (white would work too, I’m sure!) then scraped up all the brown bits. I turned off the heat and then added everything as directed with 4 oz of olives. When I make it again I would add a tablespoon more capers and possibly more artichoke hearts. Fire roasted diced tomatoes would also be a good substitution. Delicious and easy – thanks!
Michelle says
Is this vegan, even with the whole wheat pasta? Can I use a different whole wheat pasta?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Michelle, 99.9% of dried pastas sold at the supermarket where I live are eggless/vegan . If this isn’t the case in your area then you’ll need to double check that a dried pasta is vegan before using it. Fresh pasta will not work well.
Divina Ott says
Made this last night! I was delicious! I will make it again for sure! I give it 5 stars!
Resepbunda says
great recipe, i would like to try it at home..
Allison says
This is great! The seasonings add the perfect touch- it takes this dish to a whole other level. Thanks!
Anastasia says
This looks amazing! I am adding it to my list of “must try this week” recipes 🙂
Lisa says
Nice recipe! Because I didn’t have diced tomatoes and spaghetti pasta, I subbed whole wheat penne pasta and 8oz tomato sauce and it worked!
Alison says
I just made this for dinner tonight. HUGE hit. I don’t eat meat so this was perfect for me – my husband does eat meat so he just added the meat he wanted to his plate. This will definitely be a keeper and go-to for quick dinners. Thank you 🙂
Kristi L. says
I just found your site and I am so happy I did! We tried the Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca and we loved it. We are not vegan but work hard to eat clean. We were concerned that with the ingredients that it would serve more than 4-6 as it looked like a lot of food. There are only 2 of us now. I cut it in half but watched the broth and ended up using about 2 cups. We had enough for dinner 2 nights. They were very generous portions!! Your site is also very beautiful. Nicely done all the way around!
Cheryl says
Made this last night, except cooked it in the Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker). I used whole wheat thin spaghetti, and the amount of liquid called for in the recipe above. Cooked for half the written directions for the pasta, and it was very good. The spaghetti noodles stick together some, and I think it could have used maybe 1/2 cup more liquid for the IP. Overall a great recipe! My husband had seconds!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks for sharing your experience modifying the recipe for the Instant Pot!
Suzy Middleton-Heath says
I made this with gluten free pasta which I cooked separately and used a pot of antipasti (artichokes, sundried tomatoes and olives) that needed using up. It was really yummy! My 15 year old son and husband wolfed it down and there was some left over to freeze. Will definitely be cooking this again.
Jul says
This was delicious! I did sauté the onions and garlic till soft before adding all remaining ingredients. Substituted once cup white wine with the vegetable broth. Bravo on this winning recipe!
Jeremiah says
This recipe has become a staple for our home ever since I discovered it. I LOVE the one pot feature and how all the flavors come together. Personally, I feel like chickpeas have too strong of a flavor for the dish and end up competing against the other ingredients. As such, I use simple white beans and it is perfect for our family. Thanks for sharing! YUM!!
Constance says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it with whole wheat linguine and added portobella mushrooms and it was fantastic! It even tasted good cold the next day for lunch and was not mushy at all. Thanks again!
Heather Dillon says
I’ve made this with brown rice spaghetti noodles many times and it turns out fine. I keep it on high with the lid on and stir often. I wanted to add my comment since many others who are gluten free have asked the same question.
Liz says
Thanks so much for this comment! I’m going to try it tonight with brown rice & quinoa pasta from Trader Joe’s so I’m glad I have a good chance of success!
Jaicee says
Just curious if I’m draining the artichokes and the chickpeas first before cooking, or if I should not drain them.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Drain the artichokes and chickpeas. But not the tomatoes!
Joelle says
This was amazing and delicious! So easy and quick to prepare – just my type of dish 🙂