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!
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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.
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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
Pasta with Green Olives, Capers, and Fresh Herbs
Ingredients
Breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs (Japanese-style breadcrumbs)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of one lemon)
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
Pasta and Sauce
- 12 oz linguine or other long noodle
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup torn fresh basil
- 4 oil-packed anchovies
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tablespoon capers
- 1 cup Castelvetrano olives or ripe green olives
- ¾ cup parmigiano reggiano cheese or other high quality parmesan cheese
Instructions
Breadcrumbs
- Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
- Toast panko breadcrumbs until golden brown, then place on a paper towel to drain.
- Once cool, toss breadcrumbs with lemon zest and fresh dill and set aside.
Pasta with Olives, Capers, and Herbs
- Chop the fresh parsley and tear the basil. Add to a large serving bowl. (Basil won’t get as black on the edges if you tear it instead of chopping it.) 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 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. 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. Add the ¼ cup of olive oil and stir to combine.
- Cook the linguine noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Transfer the linguine to the bowl with the herb sauce along with ¼ cup of the cooking liquid and stir, 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.
Notes
- 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.
Sutton
Love this pasta! It has all the little salt bombs I love and tons of herbs which keep it fresh. I actually used an entire tin of anchovies, but I'm crazy like that. I'm also a fan of any pasta that has flavored breadcrumbs on top, and I'm starting to think that bread crumbs should be standard on pasta 🙂 Super good, would definitely recommend. Thank you, Debra!
Debra
Thanks Sutton! Yes, carbs on carbs should be standard procedure. Bravo to you for not fearing the anchovy. I love those little suckers!