A great no-time-to-shop pasta dinner that uses what you have

Chef Aishling Moore’s quick and easy pasta puttanesca recipe is perfect for a weekday dinner

Aishling Moore's storecupboard puttanesca pasta

Aishling Moore

Mon Nov 6 2023 - 06:15

The great thing about this recipe is that the main ingredients are store cupboard essentials, and all can be swapped out to suit what you have at home. It is ideal for when you have little time to get to the supermarket and even less time to cook. Here, I’ve used tinned mackerel, but it could just as easily be a tin of tuna, sardines or a dozen anchovies.

When I’m making a pasta dish on the fly, I usually aim to have my sauce ready by the time it takes for the water to come to the boil, and this dish does just that. When I can get hold of guinndilla peppers, a yellowy-green Spanish variety, I love to use them. Their acidity and subtle heat really cut through the richness of the mackerel.

But, this recipe is all about using what you have, so you can swap it out for one regular green or red chilli, or even use a pinch of chilli flakes instead. The shallot can be swapped for a small onion. I love using fettuccine at home because it cooks so quickly, but any pasta you have on hand will work.

Recipe: Aishling Moore’s storecupbopard pasta puttanesca