Green Olive Pasta

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This green olive pasta is a must-make for olive lovers! Bursting with juicy, briny olives, fresh basil, and zippy lemon, it's a flavor-packed meal that can be made in about 20 minutes!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 710kcal

Author: Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

12 ounces dried linguine pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (Note 1)
¼ cup dry white wine
2 cups Castelvetrano olives (Note 2)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
½ teaspoon black pepper
Salt, to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions, just until al dente. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the rest into a colander.
While the pasta cooks, coat the bottom of a large skillet or shallow pot with the olive oil and place it over medium heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add the shallot. Cook the shallot for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until it becomes soft and translucent.
Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and fennel. Cook the mixture for another minute, stirring constantly, until the garlic becomes very fragrant.
Add the wine and bring it to a gentle simmer. Let it continue to simmer for about 3 minutes, until the volume has reduced by about half.
Add the cooked pasta (Note 3) and olives to the skillet. Add a few splashes of your pasta cooking water and cook the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the olives are heated through. Add more of the pasta cooking water if it becomes too dry.
Remove the skillet from heat, then stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, basil, parsley, and black pepper. Season the mixture with salt to taste, keeping in mind that it may already be salty from the olives.
Divide onto plates and serve.

Notes

The seeds only need to be broken up — not completely pulverized. I simply place them on a cutting board and smash them with the bottom of a measuring cup.
This is a lot of olives! You'll get an olive in every bite if you use the full amount. If this seems like a lot for you, feel free to start with just one cup. You can always add more.
If your pasta isn't done yet, simply turn off the heat and pause cooking until it's ready.

Nutrition