Pasta Puttanesca with Shrimp

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Serves4

Cooking Time 2 to 3 hours on High

Slow Cooker Size 5½ to 7 Quarts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Puttanesca sauce features bright, bold flavors that can become dulled with hours of cooking. For ours, we stirred in the most potent ingredients—the olives and capers—toward the end of cooking. Adding the shrimp then ensured that it wasn’t exposed to the heat too long. Jarred marinara, anchovies, and red pepper flakes gave us a deeply flavored sauce. If you prefer a less spicy dish, use the smaller amount of red pepper flakes. Click here for more information on cooking pasta in the slow cooker and making a foil collar. Victoria Marinara Sauce is the test kitchen’s favorite brand. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

8	ounces (2½ cups) penne
2	teaspoons olive oil
1½	cups boiling water
1	(25-ounce) jar marinara sauce (3 cups)
2	anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
⅛-¼	teaspoon red pepper flakes
	Salt and pepper
1	pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
¼	cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped coarse
2	tablespoons capers, rinsed
2	tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1. Line slow cooker with aluminum foil collar and spray with vegetable oil spray. Microwave penne and oil in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until some pieces look toasted and blistered, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer hot pasta to prepared slow cooker; immediately stir in boiling water (pasta will sizzle). Stir in 2 cups marinara sauce, anchovies, pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cover; cook until pasta is tender, 2 to 3 hours on high.

2. Remove foil collar. Gently stir in remaining 1 cup marinara sauce, adjusting sauce consistency with extra hot water as needed. Stir in shrimp, olives, and capers, cover, and cook on high until shrimp are opaque throughout, about 20 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.