Step 1

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, and anchovy filets to a large skillet. Sauté the ingredients over medium heat until the onions are soft and the anchovies have dissolved.

Step 2

Add the crushed tomatoes to the skillet, along with the basil, crushed red pepper, sliced olives, and capers. Stir to combine, then allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Once simmering, turn the heat down to low and let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, while you cook the pasta.

Step 3

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once rapidly boiling, add the spaghetti and continue to boil until the pasta is tender (about 7 minutes). Reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining the past in a colander.

Step 4

Add the cooked and drained pasta to the puttanesca sauce in the skillet (or if your skillet is not big enough, add them both to the large pot used to cook the pasta, heat turned off). Stir to combine the pasta with the sauce. If the pasta becomes dry, add a splash or two of the reserved pasta water. Serve hot.