spaghetti alla puttanesca with ground beef
Spaghetti alla puttanesca is a tomato-based pasta dish that originated in southern Italy. It includes a few of your traditional tomato sauce ingredients including olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes, but it also gets extra punch from black olives, anchovy fillets, and capers. In this recipe, I have added ground beef to make a more hearty main course, but you could serve this without meat or over roasted chicken breasts. I would recommend serving with a bold red wine to marry with the dynamic flavors of the sauce, such as an Italian Montepulciano.
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Olive oil (2 tablespoons)
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Fresh garlic (1 tablespoon, finely minced)
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Shallot (1 large shallot, finely chopped)
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Ground beef (1 pound, preferably at least 20% fat for full flavor)
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Salt (1 teaspoon)
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Crushed tomatoes (1 large can, 28 ounces)
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Red bell pepper (1 large, cut into very thin slices)
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Black pitted olives (1 cup)
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Capers (2 teaspoons)
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Anchovy fillets (4-6 fillets, finely chopped; or you could use 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of anchovy paste)
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Fresh basil (1 large bunch; reserve several leaves to chop for garnish)
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Fresh Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup; reserve some for garnish)
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Red pepper flakes (1 teaspoon)
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Spaghetti noodles (2 servings) or zucchini noodles (make from 2 zucchini using a spiralizer)
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In a large, deep skillet, heat olive oil, garlic, and shallot over medium heat.
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Add the ground beef and salt. Cook until beef is cooked through (no more pink).
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Add the crushed tomatoes, red bell pepper, olives, capers, anchovy fillets or paste and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
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While the sauce is cooking, prepare spaghetti pasta noodles in a separate pot per the directions on the package. If using zucchini noodles, prepare the zucchini with the spiralizer tool (I use the Gefu)
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When noodles are ready to serve, add the basil, Parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes to the sauce and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
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Using tongs, add the cooked pasta noodles or the raw zucchini noodles and toss into the sauce until evenly coated.
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Serve in large bowls with additional basil and Parmesan cheese for garnish.