This Vegetarian Puttanesca is also really easy to make – another bonus. And, also, it’s the perfect pantry recipe.

Table of Contents

• Is Puttanesca Vegetarian?
• Vegetarian Puttanesca Ingredients
• More Hearty Vegetarian Pasta Recipes

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Reviews & Comments

Is Puttanesca Vegetarian?

When I first started eating vegetarian, I considered puttanesca sauce a safe bet on restaurant menus. Imagine my surprise when I realized later on that in addition to olives and capers, another reason for its umami goodness was anchovies. Whoops! Definitely not vegetarian.

For the last several years, one of my goals in life (yep, it’s true) was to create a tasty puttanesca sauce recipe without anchovies. I’ve tried countless iterations, and it was always almost right, but not 100% right. Until this one!

Vegetarian Puttanesca Ingredients

For this vegetarian puttanesca, we’ve got:

• Lots of garlic
• Oregano
• Crushed tomatoes – cooked down for maximum intensity
• Loads of kalamata olives and capers
• A pinch of red pepper flakes for just a smidge of heat
• And a dash of soy sauce. Yep – soy sauce. It’s all about heightening that umami experience without the anchovies. And it totally works here.

(Just pretend you see garlic in this shot. And salt. And olive oil. But otherwise, these are the ingredients you need.)

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a popular version of pasta puttanesca, made with – you guessed it – spaghetti. I also love this sauce with farfelle (bow tie pasta), penne, and rotini. But I think it will work with just about any pasta.

So there you have it – Vegetarian Puttanesca with no anchovies in sight! I hope you love this one as much as we do. If you do, please come back and leave a rating! (Or even if you don’t like it, please come back and leave a rating too – the feedback is important and helps me make the best recipes I can!)

More Hearty Vegetarian Pasta Recipes

• This Vegetarian Bolognese is chockfull of legumes for a protein-rich, satisfying dish. Or try this version made with red lentils!
• Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta Fazool) is so cozy and hearty.
• I’ve been making this vegetarian lasagna for decades – it’s always a huge hit.
• This creamy Roasted Red Pepper pasta is entirely plant-based and so delish.

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Vegetarian Puttanesca Recipe

Rich with with garlic, kalamata olives, and capers, this piquant, concentrated sauce is a serious fave around here. Serve with whatever pasta you happen to have on hand!

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Calories 406kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium cloves garlic peeled and sliced thin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more to taste
• 1/2 cup halved and pitted kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons capers drained
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes more or less, to taste

For serving:

• 8 ounces of your favorite pasta such as spaghetti penne, farfalle (bow tie), or rotini
• A small handful of minced fresh parsley

Instructions

• Before you start the sauce, set a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil so you can cook your pasta (according to package directions) at the same time you’re working on your sauce.
• Set a large sauté pan over low heat. When hot, add the olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, add the garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is just starting to turn golden (but not brown, this will make it bitter) – 2-3 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down and the liquid has mostly dissipated, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and add olives, capers, soy sauce or tamari, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, for another minute until the olives are heated through. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes if desired.
• Drain pasta and add pasta to the pan along with the sauce. Toss well until evenly distributed.
• Scoop into bowls or onto plates, sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired, and serve.

Notes

Gluten-free option

Use Tamari instead of soy sauce and serve with your favorite gluten-free pasta for a fully GF version.

Nutrition

Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 937mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 103IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Vegetarian Puttanesca Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I mean, I really, really want to talk about the weather right now. (The calendar says summer’s all but here, but it’s freezing out there and now I’ve got a miserable cold – what?!) And I’m pretty much obsessed with farmer’s markets, but if I ever find myself writing that I picked up some delicious-looking peaches at one and then decided to make a tart with them, I’ll now know I’ve officially jumped the blog shark (um, again).

It can be tough to find something unique and new about, say, a sandwich wrap, though. Especially when you just had to come up with something interesting to say about chocolate chip cookies the day before and bacon blueberry chicken kiev the day before that.

Okay, maybe the fictional (and slightly scary-sounding) bacon blueberry chicken kiev is interesting on its own merit. But otherwise, if you’re a food blogger, I bet you’re nodding along.

So … who cares?

The single greatest takeaway from the workshop was this: do your words pass the “who cares” test? It’s a bit of a  harsh way to look at things, but very smart. If you can’t make your reader care about what it is you have to say, well, they’re not likely to be a reader for long.

So. I’m looking forward to trying to be a lot less cliche and hopefully a little more interesting around here, although, frankly, my life is just not that exciting. (“You’re not boring,” Kathleen said to me after one of my typically self-deprecating remarks that weekend. “Don’t ever say you’re boring.” )

Fair enough (and thank you, Kathleen, for the reminder to be nicer to myself – and for the rejuvenating workshop).

So, about these wraps! The super-cool folks over at Chobani recently sent me some of their Greek yogurt, so lately I’ve had Greek food (and, particularly, Tzatziki sauce) on the brain. I wanted to come up with an easy meal that’s super light, cool, and refreshing for summer [remove mention of the weather here], and so here we are.

Classic Greek salad veggies – red bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, tomatoes – tossed with a fresh, garlicky Tzatziki sauce, kalamata olives and some feta cheese, then wrapped. And devoured.

(Sandwiches and wraps are yet another food  that’s perfect for our multi-vore home – just add meat to the carnivore’s, and leave it out of the vegetarian’s version. Easy peasy.)

Be sure to allow for extra time for the wonderful homemade Tzatziki sauce, both for straining the yogurt and the cucumber and a little sitting time so that the flavors can meld. If you want something a little heartier, throw in some chickpeas.

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Creamy Greek Salad Sandwich Wraps with Optional Chicken (+ a Food Writing Workshop!)

Creamy, garlicky Tzatziki sauce tossed with feta, kalamata olives, and classic Greek salad veggies – cherry tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, red peppers – then rolled in a wrap. Just throw in some diced, cooked chicken for the meat-eaters.

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours

Servings 4 sandwich wraps

Author Kare

Ingredients

Tzatziki sauce

• 2 cups lowfat Greek yogurt can also use nonfat or full fat, depending on your preference
• 1 medium cucumber peeled, seeds scraped, and grated
• 1/4 teaspoon salt I prefer coarser, milder kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 medium clove garlic finely minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh dill*
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh peppermint*
• Additional salt and pepper to taste

Sandwich wraps

• 1 cup cucumber peeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1 medium)
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper cut into 1/2-inch dice about 1/2 large
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/3 cup red onion peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced (about 1/4 large)
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese about 3 ounces
• 1 cup Tzatziki sauce
• A few leaves of lettuce if desired (I used assorted spring greens, but romaine would be terrific too)
• 4 12- inch flour tortillas

If including chicken, add per sandwich:

• 1/4 cup diced cooked chicken

Instructions

Make the Tzatziki sauce:

• Place a large funnel or colander over a bowl. Line with cheesecloth or a coffee filter, and carefully spoon the Greek yogurt into the cheesecloth or coffee filter. Place in the refrigerator for 1 – 2 hours to drain any excess liquid. Note: Greek yogurt is thick enough that you can skip this step if you like; it will just result in a slightly thinner sauce.
• Line a colander with cheesecloth or paper towels and perch over a large bowl. Toss the grated cucumber with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pour into the colander. Allow the cucumber to drain for about 30 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, add the Greek yogurt. Gently squeeze the grated, salted cucumber to discard any remaining liquid and add to the yogurt. Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, dill, and peppermint. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Place Tzatziki sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld.

Assemble your sandwich:

• In a large bowl, gently toss together the cucumbers, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, onions, and olives. Stir in the feta and Tzatziki sauce.
• Lay tortilla flat and line the middle with a few lettuce leaves, if desired. Add 1 cup of Greek salad filling to the middle of the tortilla OR, if adding chicken, add 3/4 cup Greek salad filling and then top with 1/4 cup diced cooked chicken.
• Roll tortilla tightly and tuck in the ends. Slice in half and serve.

The post Vegetarian Creamy Greek Salad Sandwich Wraps (Chicken Option) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.