How to Make Shrimp Puttanesca
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Shrimp puttanesca might be my favorite meal of all time. It’s definitely my favorite Italian dish! I’m drawn to this dish because I love olives, capers, and shrimp. I also love anchovies and the delicious flavor they ad. If you have fresh tomatoes in your garden, you can use them in this sauce, which will taste heavenly. If you’re not a fan of shrimp you can certainly leave it out. My fiance doesn’t like shrimp so I made his with meatballs! This sauce can be frozen and I like to make a big batch that will last many meals. My secret trick is to leave the sauce in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving or freezing so that the garlic and anchovies really flavor the sauce. Enjoy!
Shrimp Puttanesca Ingredients (serves 6-8)
2 red onions
1 tbsp minced garlic
48 oz tomato basil sauce
2 oz can of anchovies
6 Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 tbsp capers
1/2 tsp tomato paste
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper (about 4-8 turns of the pepper grinder or you could use regular ground pepper)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1-2 tsp sugar (optional)
40 medium-sized shrimp (you can use as many as you like, I usually aim for 8-10 shrimp per bowl)
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 whole grain or cauliflower spaghetti (you may need two boxes if you have more than 4 guests)
fresh basil garnish
parmesan cheese for garnish (freshly grated)
Instructions
- boil water and add pasta, cook as instructed, and set aside
- peel the red onions and cut them into 1-inch chunks
- cut the Roma tomatoes into 8’ths and set aside
- chop the anchovies up into extra small pieces and set aside
- in a stock pot sautee onions with olive oil on medium-high heat until soft
- add the minced garlic and anchovies to the pot and stir
- add the tomatoes to the pot and stir until tender
- pour in 24 oz tomato basil sauce, stir
- add remaining seasonings, stir
- place 10 medium-sized pre-cooked shrimp into the hot sauce, stir until tender (if shrimp are uncooked steam them before adding them to the sauce)
- using tongs add the spaghetti to the bowls and ladle some sauce and shrimp on top
- garnish with fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese
If you like this dish you will love this one too: How to Make Spicy Cocktail Sauce
