This Mediterranean pasta will be your new favorite weeknight dinner! Packed with cherry tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts and fresh basil, it's loaded with flavor and comes together in a cinch!
I love Mediterranean flavors and boy do I love pasta. In fact, I've combined them before in my favorite vegan pasta salad recipe.
But up until now I hadn't created a simple Mediterranean pasta recipe that worked as a main dish, I realized recently that one was sorely needed on this site. So I took to the kitchen and got to work!
This pasta turned out delicious, and it was super easy to throw together. Using pantry items like olives and jarred artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers means there's minimal chopping involved, but LOTS of flavor.
This one is perfect for those busy weeknights!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Dried fettuccine. You can absolutely substitute your favorite variety of dried pasta. Spaghetti, penne, and angel hair pasta would all work great!
- Olive oil. Just about any high heat oil will work, but olive will give your pasta the best flavor.
- Garlic.
- White wine. You can leave this out if you prefer to cook without alcohol. If you do use it, check with Barnivore to ensure the brand you choose is vegan.
- Cherry tomatoes. Grape tomatoes will also work.
- Tomato sauce.
- Artichoke hearts. Look for marinated artichoke hearts, as these will give your pasta the best flavor.
- Kalamata olives.
- Roasted red peppers.
- Sugar. Make sure your sugar is organic in order to keep the recipe vegan.
- Red pepper flakes. You can leave these out if you're not into heat.
- Fresh basil.
- Salt and black pepper.
How It's Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Start by cooking your pasta according to the package directions. Drain it and toss it with a bit of olive oil when it's done.
- Make the Mediterranean pasta sauce while the pasta boils. Heat up some oil in a large skillet and add minced garlic. Cook the garlic for about a minute until it becomes very fragrant.
- Stir in the wine and halved cherry tomatoes. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook the mixture until it reduces by about half and the tomatoes start to soften.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, artichoke hearts, olives, peppers, sugar and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce up to a simmer and let it cook for a few minutes, until it thickens up a bit.
- Stir in your cooked pasta and simmer it in the sauce for just about a minute.
- Take the skillet away from heat and stir in some fresh basil. You can also add some salt and pepper if you'd like.
Tip: Avoid adding any salt until the dish is completely finished. If you add it too early you risk oversalting the dish, since it already contains a lot of salty ingredients.
- Pile your Mediterranean pasta onto plates and dig in! Optionally, you can sprinkle it with some vegan Parmesan cheese if you'd like.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover Mediterranean pasta will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stove in a skillet. You may need to add a splash of water to thin the sauce while it reheats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
You can! In fact, I'd encourage it.
The sugar helps balance out the acidity of the sauce ingredients, such as tomatoes and artichokes. You may find the dish a bit tart if you leave it out. There are a number of hacks that people use to replace sugar in recipes like this, including using carrot or sweet potato puree. I haven't tried any of them in this recipe, but I think they should work just fine.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes
- Pasta with White Wine Sauce
- Creamy Kale Pasta
- Spicy Eggplant Pasta
- Balsamic Asparagus Pasta
- Easy Lemon Broccoli Pasta
- Penne Arrabbiata
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
Easy Mediterranean Pasta
This Mediterranean pasta will be your new favorite weeknight dinner! Packed with cherry tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts and fresh basil, it's loaded with flavor and comes together in a cinch!
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dried fettuccine pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a dash
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup canned tomato sauce
- 1 (6.5 ounce or 184 gram) jar marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped (about 1 cup of artichoke hearts)
- 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1 cup roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons organic granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, packed
- Salt and black pepper, to taste (see Note)
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
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Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions, until al dente.
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Drain the cooked pasta into a colander, return it to the pot and toss it with a dash of olive oil.
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While the pasta cooks, place a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
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When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook it for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
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Add the wine and cherry tomatoes. Bring the wine to a simmer and let it cook for about 4 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by about half and the tomatoes begin to soften.
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Stir in the sauce, artichoke hearts, olives, peppers, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
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Stir in the cooked pasta and let it simmer in the sauce for about 30 seconds.
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Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the basil. Season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
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Divide onto plates and serve.
Recipe Notes
You may find that this dish doesn't need any salt, as it already contains some very salty ingredients. For this reason I'd caution you against adding any salt until the dish is completely finished.
Made this tonight! Delicious! Went together quick and easy