An easy vegan pasta puttanesca recipe, and low-fat, too Pasta puttanesca is a low-fat pasta sauce recipe with capers, kalamata olives and red pepper flakes in a sauce similar to a marinara sauce. If you aren't eating vegan, you could, of course, topped this off with some fresh shaved parmesan cheese, but i think you'll find this recipe is delicious on its own and you don't even want the parmesan topping. This italian pasta puttanesca recipe is both vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, though regular pasta is not gluten-free, so pair the puttanesca sauce with a gluten-free alternative.