Pasta with Green Olives, Capers, and Fresh Herbs

This quick and easy linguine pasta with green olives combines fresh herbs and zesty capers to make a brightly-flavored sauce. Ready in less than 30 minutes!

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links I may be compensated. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy here.

You might not think of pasta with green olives, but you should. Especially these green olives—Castelvetrano. If you've never had them, you're in for a treat!

This pasta recipe has everything I love. Fresh herbs? I could eat an entire salad made of fresh herbs. Buttery green olives? Yes, please. Salty capers and anchovies? Again, yes. (Do not fear the umami-packed anchovy.)

Crunchy breadcrumbs sprinkled on top? Carbs on carbs FTW! Oh, and you can make it for a quick weeknight dinner in less than 30 minutes.

The linguine noodles are perfect for this light pasta sauce, it's just an olive oil base, thickened with the starchy pasta water and parmigiano reggiano cheese, so you get to taste everything.

Shall we get started? Yes, let's.

Jump to:

• Pasta with green olives is fresh, zesty and so easy to make!
• Castelvetrano olives make this pasta extraordinary!
• Ingredients you'll need
• Recommended tools and equipment
• How to make pasta with green olives
• Tips for pasta with green olives
• More pasta recipes
• Recipe

Pasta with green olives is fresh, zesty and so easy to make!

• 3 kinds of fresh herbs = so much flavor!
• Capers and lemon are zippy and bright!
• You don't even have to cook the green olive pasta sauce!!!
• Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and that's it!
• Light, fresh, and ready in about 30 minutes.

Castelvetrano olives make this pasta extraordinary!

Let's talk about the olives in this recipe for a second. Castelvetrano olives to be exact. The first time I tried them, we were in Vancouver. (Incidentally, it was on that trip that my husband said, "You should start a food blog", and Voilá! - here we are!)

We were at a little wine bar called Salt. They brought them out on a cheese and charcuterie plate, and our minds just melted. They are all buttery and creamy. Not briny or salty.

I love olives of every ilk, but these are something special. If you have among you those who don't like olives, feed them Castelvetrano olives and their lives will change. I've done it. I've seen it happen. With my very own eyes.

Castelvetrano olives come from Sicily, and are harvested young, while still green. They are not fermented like other olives, which allows them to retain their buttery texture and mild flavor.

Ingredients you'll need

• Linguine pasta: Use a good brand like DeCecco. Cheap pasta just won't do.
• Castelvetrano olives: These round, green olives come from Sicily. They have mostly been used to make olive oil, but lately they've gained popularity because of their smooth buttery flavor. They're cured the same way canned black olives are cured.
• Anchovies: You want the little salty ones in the can.
• Capers
• Fresh parsley, basil and dill: These fresh herbs really pack a punch and give the dish so much flavor!
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese: Please use the real stuff. It's the best for a reason and worth the price.
• Garlic
• Panko bread crumbs: These are Japanese style breadcrumbs that have a crisp texture for extra crunch.
• Lemon zest
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt

Recommended tools and equipment

• Large stock pot: To boil the pasta.
• Chef's knife and cutting board: To chop the green olives, garlic, herbs and anchovies. You must use a wooden cutting board to make the anchovy paste.
• Small skillet: For toasting the bread crumbs.
• Mixing bowl: For the green olive pasta sauce.
• Box grater: I always recommend grating your own cheese.

How to make pasta with green olives

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit.

Step 1: Make the breadcrumbs:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the panko breadcrumbs in the skillet until golden brown. Remove the breadcrumbs and drain on a paper towel. Once cool, toss with lemon zest and fresh dill.

Step 2: Make the green olive sauce:

Chop the fresh parsley and tear the basil. (Basil won't get as black on the edges if you tear it instead of chopping it.) Add to a large bowl. I used one of my Pyrex mixing bowls.

Add half of the olives and half of the capers to the bowl.

Place the anchovies and garlic on a cutting board and use the side of a good chef's knife to mash it into a paste. You may not get it completely smooth, and that is okay. The anchovy will start to melt into the garlic, and the garlic will start to break down.

This is what we want.

Add the anchovy mixture to the bowl with the herbs.

Chop the remaining olives and capers down to a small dice, and add to the bowl with the herb mixture, along with ¼ cup of olive oil, and stir to combine.

Step 3: Cook the pasta

Cook the linguine noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. See tip below.

Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining.

Transfer the linguine noodles to a large serving bowl with the herb sauce, add ¼ cup of the pasta cooking liquid and mix together, gradually adding the parmesan cheese. Add more water as needed until the pasta is coated with the sauce.

Top with the breadcrumbs and a bit more parmesan and serve.

Tips for pasta with green olives

• To make the anchovy paste, you must use a good, sharp knife and you must use a wooden cutting board. It just won't happen on plastic. If all you have is plastic, just chop the anchovies finely instead.
• This is a light pasta sauce, so the linguine noodles are a key component of the recipe. They need to have a satisfying texture, so it's important to cook the pasta al dente. What does al dente mean anyway? Al dente literally means "to the teeth", which means that the pasta should have some bite to it. Some chew. It should not be crunchy, but it should not be mushy like canned noodle soup, either. I will start checking it around 6 or 8 minutes. Take a noodle out of the pot, let it cool down for a second, and then bite into it. Keep in mind that the noodle will continue to cook in the sauce for a few minutes, so you want to err on the side of underdone.

More pasta recipes

• Creamy Zucchini Pasta keeps this linguine with all the green things idea going.
• Penne all'Arrabbiata is a simple, classic pasta with a spicy red sauce.
• Creamy Pasta with Bacon and Cheese is hearty and filling, perfect on a cold night.
• Red Wine Spaghetti is just that: cooked in a whole bottle of red wine. Then add lots of butter!

Recipe