A classic Italian pasta dish translated to pizza
Puttanesca is most often associated with pasta alla puttanesca, but I thought the flavors of the classic Italian pasta dish would be tremendous on a pizza too. This Pizza Puttanesca includes a traditional puttanesca base of acidic tomato sauce, briny anchovies, olives, and capers, aromatic garlic, and rich olive oil paired with fresh slices of mozzarella cheese to balance the saltiness and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to add a little heat.
The potentially saucy origins of puttanesca
Though there is no definitive history on the origins of puttanesca, with many sources claiming to have invented the dish, my favorite theory of origin is bit of a "saucy" one. The root word of puttanesca, "puttana," translates roughly to "whore" or "prostitute" in Italian, therefore, one theory is that this dish originated in an Italian bordello; most likely in Quartieri Spagnoli in Naples. Some even refer to the dish as "whore's pasta" or "lady-of-the-night pasta," so it would only conclude that this pizza could also claim a similar moniker if you felt the need to give it a saucy nickname. However, I find that Pizza Puttanesca serves it quite well too.
WHAT ABOUT THE PIZZA CRUST?
I prefer to use this Easy Same-Day Pizza Dough recipe to make this Pizza Puttanesca, but if you have a preferred pizza crust recipe of your own or want to grab some pre-made dough from the store, feel free to use those as well.
WHAT TEMPERATURE IS BEST TO BAKE PIZZA AT?
Your aim is a perfectly golden crust and nicely caramelized toppings, so the hotter the better. Many professional pizzerias keep their ovens heated to 800 degrees F or higher, but most home ovens only reach temperatures between 500-550 degrees F so this recipe is created with those constraints in mind. I bake my pizzas at 500 degrees F / 260 degrees C and get wonderful results. If your oven tops out at 450 degrees F / 232 degrees C, I have tested that temp many times over as well and it works well, though you’ll want to plan on a few extra minutes in the oven, especially if your pie is piled high with toppings.
REHEATING PIZZA LEFTOVERS
It would be cliche if I made a joke about leftovers and pizza right now, so we’ll just skip that and assume you didn’t eat the entire pie for a moment. My two favorite methods for reheating pizza so it retains its crisp crust while remelting the cheese is in the oven or in a cast-iron pan on top of the stove.
Oven method: Bake on a sheet pan at 350 F / 175 C for 10 minutes or until pizza has reached your desired level of warmth and crispness.
Stovetop method: Set pizza in a cast-iron pan over medium-low heat. Allow to cook until the crust has reached your desired level of crispness. If the cheese isn’t melted enough for your taste you can add a few drops of water to the pan (away from the pizza) and cover the pan for a minute or two to allow the steam to melt the cheese further.
WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?
- A baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- A kitchen scale or measuring cups (for less precise measurements)
- Measuring spoons
- A rolling pin (only if you prefer an evenly thick pie) otherwise your hands are your best tool
- A spoon or spatula (to spread the sauce)
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LOOKING FOR MORE PIZZA INSPIRATION?
Love this pizza recipe? Here are some additional favorites for your next pizza night:
- Pizza Quattro Stagioni
- Green Olive and Feta Pizza
- White Pizza with Hot Pickled Peppers and Honey
- Truffled Potato Pizza with Ricotta and Taleggio
Check out all of my pizza recipes here!
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Pizza Puttanesca
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 1 large pizza 1x
- Category: Pizza, Mains
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Puttanesca is most often associated with pasta alla puttanesca, but I thought the flavors of the classic Italian pasta dish would be tremendous on a pizza too. This Pizza Puttanesca includes a traditional puttanesca base of acidic tomato sauce, briny anchovies, olives, and capers, aromatic garlic, and rich olive oil paired with fresh slices of mozzarella cheese to balance the saltiness and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to add a little heat.
Ingredients
- ½ recipe Easy Same-Day Pizza Dough
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz tomato sauce (I prefer unsalted/no-salt-added for this pizza if you can find it)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder (can omit in favor of using garlic-infused olive oil for the olive oil portion above, if preferred)
- 8 oz mozzarella ball, sliced into 8 pieces
- 1 ½ oz (about 6-7 filets) anchovies packed in oil
- 54 g (about ⅓ cup) pitted black olives, crushed
- 1 tbsp nonpareil capers
- 1 - 1 ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F / 260 degrees C and set a baker’s half sheet to the side.
- Shape your dough. If you prefer a classic pie-shape with a thicker crust compared to the center of your dough, I suggest hand-stretching your dough. If you prefer your pizza to be an even thickness, I suggest rolling your dough out with a rolling pin.
- If you are hand-stretching your dough:
- I like to rub a small amount of olive oil into my hands first; this allows me to shape the dough easier without it ripping accidentally from friction.
- Press the dough down with the palm of your hand into a disk shape, then use your fingertips to gently press down on the dough disk, further flattening it.
- To further extend the dough, I prefer to press one palm on top of one side of the dough and with the other hand lift the alternative side of the dough and gently work the dough outward, pulling very gently with the tips of my oiled fingers (like a very discrete “come hither” motion) to slowly stretch the dough out. Rotate slightly and repeat until the dough is shaped and stretched to your liking. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again. Transfer your stretched dough to a sheet of parchment paper.
- If you are using a rolling pin:
- I prefer to place my dough between two sheets of parchment paper to avoid the dough sticking to my rolling pin, but if you prefer you can also sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough ball as well as wiping some over your rolling pin by hand to prevent sticking instead. Once the dough has been rolled to your preferred size and shape, peel the top layer of parchment paper off (if using). The bottom layer that the dough is resting on can be utilized for your baking sheet. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again.
- If you are hand-stretching your dough:
- Transfer your shaped dough to the reserved baking sheet.
- Brush olive oil onto the pizza dough lightly and evenly. This can be done with a pastry brush or the back of a spoon
- In a small bowl combine tomato sauce and garlic powder (if using). Pour over the top of the pizza dough and using the back of a spoon spread the sauce out evenly over the dough.
- Top the pizza with the slices of mozzarella, spacing them out evenly, then top with anchovies, black olives, and capers. Finish with a generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
- Bake for 16-22 minutes or until the crust has reached your preferred level of crispness and the mozzarella cheese is beginning to brown and blister. I find that pizzas that have a thinner topping layer take less time to bake and heavier-topped pizzas generally take a bit longer to bake so watch your pizza closely after the 16-minute mark and adjust as desired.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼th of the pizza
- Calories: 538
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 547 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 34 mg
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