Braised Pork Pappardelle Putanesca

This Braised Pork Pappardelle Puttanesca combines pulled pork shoulder, thick pappardelle noodles, and puttanesca sauce that will surely please you and your family.

Looking for another easy pork and pasta dish? Try this Spaghetti Pizza Casserole or Pork Lasagna.

Pork Pappardelle Recipe

This pulled pork and noodle dish is the perfect comfort food that’s cooked low and slow. Not only will your belly be full but your house will smell amazing after cooking this family favorite.

Puttanesca is an easy sauce, briefly cooked, fragrant, and spicy. The sauce base uses tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, pepper and anchovies.

While traditional puttanesca sauce typically features seafood or anchovies, using pork as the protein adds an inventive twist.

This unconventional choice gives the dish a distinct character that’s both comforting and unexpected, making it an excellent conversation starter at any meal.

Ingredients

• Boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed
• Anchovies in oil, drained and finely chopped
• Capers, drained and rinsed
• Kalamata olives, pitted
• Pappardelle noodles
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Vegetables: celery, onion, peeled whole tomatoes in juice, cherry tomatoes, carrots
• Cheese: Pecorino Romano cheese freshly grated and a chunk (optional)
• Seasoning: kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, chopped basil leaves, cloves garlic, fresh thyme or dried thyme, bay leaf

Recipe Tips

• Prepare pork shoulder with garlic and salt and pepper rub, and refrigerate overnight.
• Not a fan of anchovies? Substitute with dried seaweed (nori) or if you’re not keen on seaweed, omit it altogether.
•  Leftover pasta puttanesca will be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
• To reheat leftovers, transfer the sauce to a pan on the stove and warm over medium heat. If the sauce looks dry, add a little water to help loosen it.

How to cook Pork Pappardelle Putanesca

Liberally rub pork shoulder with salt and pepper. Cut 2 garlic cloves into 16 slivers.

Make sixteen 1-inch incisions and insert a sliver in each. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours.

In a Dutch oven or large ovenproof casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. 

Add pork and brown on all sides, then transfer to a platter.

Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of fat and return Dutch oven to medium-high heat.

Chop 2 more garlic cloves.  Add carrot, celery, onion, and chopped garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in 1 tablespoon of anchovies and 1 1/2 teaspoons chili flakes and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add tomatoes with their juices, thyme, and bay leaf to Dutch oven and boil, scraping up browned bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon.

Return pork with any juices to the Dutch oven.  Add enough hot water almost to cover the pork and return to a boil.

Tightly cover Dutch oven and bake in 375 degrees F. oven, turning pork occasionally, adding hot water as needed if liquid reduces until pork is very tender, or about 3 hours.

Remove from oven and let the pork cool in the sauce until easy to handle, 1 to 2 hours. Discard the thyme branch and bay leaf.

Transfer pork to a carving board and shred with fingers or two forks. Set aside half of the pulled pork for another use (see note below).

Skim off fat from the surface of the sauce. Stir half of the pork into the sauce. Keep warm over low heat.

In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Chop the remaining garlic.

Add the garlic with the capers and remaining 1 tablespoon anchovies, and 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes and cook, stirring often, until garlic is lightly browned, about 1 minute.

Add the cherry tomatoes and olives and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes soften about 2 minutes. Set aside.

According to box directions, boil pappardelle in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Scoop out and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Drain well and return to the pot.

Add sauce, cherry tomato mixture, the basil and the Romano cheese. Mix well. If the sauce seems thick, stir in some reserved pasta water.

Return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add the reserved pasta and cook until hot, about 2 minutes.

Serve the pasta in bowls, topped with the pork and additional basil and freshly grated cheese, if desired.

Note: The recipe will yield about 2 pounds of pulled pork. Use half of the pulled pork for this sauce, and reserve the remainder for another meal.

Freeze the pork in a tightly covered freezer-safe container for up to 3 months; thaw and reheat before serving.

What is puttanesca?

Sugo alla puttanesca (or puttanesca sauce) is a Neapolitan pasta sauce dating back to the early 20^th century, made with pantry staples like tomatoes, garlic, anchovies, olives and/or capers.

What does puttanesca mean in Italian?

The origin story of the puttanesca sauce is that of old wives tails or folklore.

Whether you believe in the sauce having “saucy” history of luring men in from the streets with its intense aroma, or that it originated in the 1950s in a famous restaurant with few ingredients left to make what customers asked for late at night, puttanesca certainly leaves everyone wanting for more.

Others think it was created by a chef who, for lack of fresh ingredients, could design this comforting dish with a handful of pantry items he had on hand.

What is different about puttanesca pasta?

While we love the added briny flavors from kalamata olives and capers in this tomato-based pasta sauce, we consider anchovies to be the secret ingredient.

They distinguish puttanesca from any other red sauce you may be familiar with.

What is the difference between putanesca and arrabiata?

The difference is in the olives, capers and anchovies, which add another dimension to Puttanesca pasta sauce.

Puttanesca and arrabbiata sauces are both made with tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and hot chili pepper flakes.

The absence of these ingredients gives the arrabbiata sauce a slightly different flavor.

What is the base of puttanesca sauce?

Putanesca sauce comes together easily with a few pantry items. It is made from tomatoes, olives, onion, garlic, capers, herbs, and anchovies.

The basis of the sauce is quick preparation and the use of canned tomatoes is preferred.

What other cuts of pork can I use in this dish?

Boneless pork shoulder is the cut this recipe calls for, but sausage puttanesca is another option for this recipe.

Other Dishes Like This

If you like this dish, try our Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta. It prepares in less than an hour but still has all the Italian flavors!

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