THE FOODIST / ITALIAN SAUSAGE PUTTANESCA RECIPE

Vincent Van Gogh's "The Brothel"

GUEST BLOG / By Karen Levin, Cooking Light magazine-- If you're in the mood for something spicy rather than creamy, this is it. For a little less heat, use mild turkey Italian sausage instead of hot. 

Spaghetti alla puttanesca is an Italian pasta dish invented in Naples in the mid-20th century and made typically with tomatoes, olive oil, olives, capers, and garlic — with vermicelli or spaghetti pasta. 

Puttanesca has prostitution nuances in Italian. Making a Puttanseca dish means using the most common ingredients found in a pantry. Skimpy but tasty. Of course, prostitution has different connotations around the world, but there's only one place where it's inspired a sauce. That place is Italy and the stuff is puttanesca, which translates roughly to "lady of the night." 

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta 

8 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage

1 cup chopped onion 

1 cup chopped green bell pepper 

3 garlic cloves, minced 

Cooking spray

2 (14.5-ounce) cans no salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped 

½ cup halved pitted kalamata olives 

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1 teaspoon anchovy paste 

½ cup (2 ounces) finely shredded Parmesan cheese 

Directions 

Step 1--Preheat oven to 400°. 

Step 2--Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well. 

Step 3--Remove casings from sausage. Place sausage, onion, pepper, and garlic in a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; sauté 8 minutes, stirring to crumble. 

Step 4--Add tomatoes, olives, tomato paste, capers, and anchovy paste to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add pasta, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. 

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 482 calories; calories from fat 30%; fat 16g; saturated fat 4.6g; mono fat 6.9g; poly fat 2.6g; protein 24.7g; carbohydrates 63.3g; fiber 6.1g; cholesterol 42mg; iron 4.7mg; sodium 983mg; calcium 231mg.