Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

puttanesca

American  
[poo-tuh-nes-kuh, poo-tah-ne-skah] / ˌpu təˈnɛs kə, ˌpu tɑˈnɛ skɑ /

adjective

  1. Italian Cooking. served with or being a tomato sauce traditionally containing olives, capers, garlic, chile peppers, and sometimes anchovies.

    Entrees include many pasta dishes, from cheese-stuffed ravioli to pasta puttanesca.

    Tuna in olive oil is the perfect protein to stand up to a flavorful puttanesca sauce.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Straight out of the tin, anchovies can be assertive, but their umami flavor can be judiciously harnessed, adding depth to Caesar salad dressing, pasta puttanesca and other recipes.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 30, 2023

Rife with briny capers, olives, garlic, red pepper flakes and basil, it’s something like a saucy, seafood version of puttanesca.

From Washington Times • Mar. 28, 2023

We made quick work of the pesto gnocchi and the tagliolini with mushroom and mozzarella; the puttanesca was less beloved.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2023

The meals that I typically made for friends — briny puttanesca packed with olives, skillet-griddled burgers with too much cheese, slow-simmered pozole — felt either too sloppy or overwrought.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2022

After all, he’d had a furious outburst just because he’d wanted roast beef instead of puttanesca sauce.

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "puttanesca" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com