This Pizza Puttanesca is made with homemade puttanesca sauce and spread on store bought pizza dough, topped with mozzarella and baked for 20 minutes.
You won’t believe how easy it is to make this pizza. This will forever be my favorite pizza to make from scratch. It is SO easy, quick and delicious. Puttanesca sauce is my absolute favorite sauces. We make this pizza sauce with capers, olives and garlic although puttanesca traditionally contains anchovies. Savory and sweet, spicy and bold, Pizza Puttanesca packs a punch that will make your taste buds salivate with each bite. The word puttanesca translates roughly to "lady of the night."
If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Pork Birria Tacos and my Ranchera Meat.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Pizza dough
- Mozzarella
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- White wine
- Whole plum tomatoes
- Crushed red peppers
- Capers
- Olives
- Basil
- Parmesan
See recipe card for Pizza Puttanesca quantities.
Instructions
In a large pan, add olive oil and onion and cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic until it starts to brown, around 1 minute. Pour in the white wine and stir. Bring to a simmer until wine evaporates by half, about 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Add the olives, capers, red pepper flakes and cook for another 6 minutes. Stir in the basil and simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes. This is the puttanesca sauce.
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Add flour on the counter and flatten the pizza dough out with a roller. Make sure to put flour on your hands and on the roller to keep the dough from sticking! Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add the flattened dough onto the baking sheet.
With a spoon, add the puttanesca sauce on the pizza. Slice the mozzarella and add in an even layer.
Put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Feel free to broil for 1-2 minutes extra if you want it to be more crispy.
After the pizza is done, add about 6 pieces of basil on it. The heat of the pizza will soften the basil leaves. Feel free to drizzle on olive oil and salt on it as well.
Substitutions
Dough: You can make homemade pizza dough, but you can totally buy store bought dough.
Garlic: For best results, use fresh garlic.
Red pepper flakes: The red pepper flakes are totally optional, but for those who need a spicy kick.
Tomatoes: I used diced tomatoes from the can instead of fresh tomatoes. The San Marzano whole tomatoes are always the way to go.
White Wine: I would recommend a cheap dry white wine - definitely not sweet wine.
Capers: Capers are usually found in the canned goods at the grocery store, beside the pickles and jalapeños. They are lemony, briney, and salty and pair so well on this dish.
Variations
Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish. You can even top with jalapeno or hot sauce.
- Deluxe - top with extra olives, capers, or basil.
Check out this Air Fry Bok Choy for a side.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!
Storage
This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or frozen for up to three months.
Top tip
Feel free to broil at the end for a crispier pizza.
Pizza Puttanesca
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Pizza Puttanesca is made with homemade puttanesca sauce and spread on store bought pizza dough, topped with mozzarella and baked for 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 15 oz store bought pizza dough
- 1 fresh mozzarella
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
- ⅓ cup of white wine
- 1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand
- 1 tablespoon of crushed red peppers
- ⅓ cup of drained capers
- ½ of drained black olives, sliced in halves
- ¼ cup of chopped fresh basil
- Grated parmesan, to serve
Instructions
- In a large pan, add olive oil and onion and cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic until it starts to brown, around 1 minute. Pour in the white wine and stir. Bring to a simmer until wine evaporates by half, about 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Add the olives, capers, red pepper flakes and cook for another 6 minutes. Stir in the basil and simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes. This is the puttanesca sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 450 F. Add flour on the counter and flatten the pizza dough out with a roller. Make sure to put flour on your hands and on the roller to keep the dough from sticking! Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add the flattened dough onto the baking sheet.
- With a spoon, add the puttanesca sauce on the pizza. Slice the mozzarella and add in an even layer.
- Put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Feel free to broil for 1-2 minutes extra if you want it to be more crispy.
- After the pizza is done, add about 6 pieces of basil on it. The heat of the pizza will soften the basil leaves. Feel free to drizzle on olive oil and salt on it as well.
Notes
- I used diced tomatoes from the can instead of fresh tomatoes. The San Marzano whole tomatoes are always the way to go.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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