Pilchard puttanesca

Name: Pilchard puttanesca
Prep time: 9 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 300g Spaghetti; 1 tbls Olive Oil; 1 finely chopped Onion; 2 cloves minced Garlic; 1 Red Chilli; 1 tbls Tomato Puree; 425g Pilchards; 70g Black Olives; Shaved Parmesan

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Pasta recipe with Italian flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 49 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 27 min total

300g Spaghetti
1 tbls Olive Oil
1 finely chopped Onion
2 cloves minced Garlic
1 Red Chilli
1 tbls Tomato Puree
425g Pilchards
70g Black Olives
Shaved Parmesan

Step-by-step instructions

Cook the pasta following pack instructions.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the onion, garlic and chilli for 3-4 mins to soften.
Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 min, then add the pilchards with their sauce.
Cook, breaking up the fish with a wooden spoon, then add the olives and continue to cook for a few more mins.
Drain the pasta and add to the pan with 2-3 tbsp of the cooking water.
Toss everything together well, then divide between plates and serve, scattered with Parmesan.

Why this works on a weeknight

Pilchard puttanesca genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our One-Pan Pasta collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Pilchard puttanesca actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍝 One-Pan Pasta Pasta Italian ⚡ 30-Min Dinner