Pasta Puttanesca - Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals

I have made pasta puttanesca many times before, but not this version. I have really enjoyed it, the flavors are a little bit different when the capers and olives are included to add some brininess. The version I have made in the past was from Ellie Krieger at the Food Network you can find her recipe here. They are very similar, however, there is one difference in Ellie's recipe that I decided to keep. She adds some arugula to increase the vegetable content in the meal, and that is something I am always trying to do for my family. I happen to use spinach instead of arugula because the flavor is not so intense for the boys.

In the past, we have never used the anchovies or anchovy paste when making this dish, but this time I did because I wanted to follow the recipe as closely as possible. I did not notice any fishy taste or odor when preparing the dish. I have read and heard that in a dish like this with such strong flavors that the anchovies just add a bit of saltiness and I found after trying it that this was true.

I am a big fan of tomatoes in just about any form, I could eat them like an apple fresh from the garden. Hubby, on the other hand, is not a tomato fan, which is good for me when we are at a restaurant and I want his tomato slice. This type of tomato-based sauce is not his favorite on past, but he tolerates it from time to time. When he tasted this version, his overall impression was that it was too acidic because there were way too many tomatoes in it. His comment was, "I can feel the enamel being stripped off of my teeth." His suggestion was to cut the amount of tomatoes by at least half another time, but he was not completely opposed to trying it again which was hopeful.

I really enjoyed this dish myself and was glad that there were plently of leftovers for me to enjoy through out the week for lunch. It did reheat very well since there was plently of sauce the food did not dry out. I really enjoyed it.

Timing: Recipe States: 30 minutes, My Actual Timing: 24 minutes
Servings: Recipe States: 4 servings, Servings For My Family: 6 servings
Leftovers: There were plenty of leftovers and they were wonderful.


Family Ratings:
Me: I would make this every week if my family enjoyed it as much as I do. Quick, easy, fairly healthy.
Hubby: He thought it was too acidic and wanted to cut the amount of tomatoes in half.
Big Man: He liked it quite a bit and ended up having a couple servings.
Bear: Bear said that it was a little bit good and ate everything he was served. Big win!
Mr. T: He ate his serving about as well as he eats most nights.

Will I repeat: Probably.

What will I change: I will cut down the amount of tomatoes to see if that makes it any better for Hubby. I will probably increase the amount of spinach as well for more vegetables.