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It’s this simple pasta with olives combines pantry staples, juicy olives and fresh lemon zest to create a flavorful midweek family dinner. Easy, fast, And budget friendly Also.
Published in April 2021/updated in April 2026
This easy pasta recipe has been one of my staples for ages. Today, I wanted to share it again because it’s perfect for busy dinner, easy to customize with your favorite add-ins, and ready in approx 15 minutes.
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What’s not to like?
The recipe is amazing simple; it requires basic material You probably already have it in your cupboard and minimal preparation time, but it’s packed lots of flavors.
All you have to do is cook the pasta and fry it gently juicy olives with garlic, chili flakes in olive oil until everything smells nice and fragrant. Then drain and add the pasta to the pan along with the fresh ones lemon zest, parmesan cheese, and chopped fresh parsley.
Stir to combine, and dinner is ready!
This quick olive paste tastes SO GOOD, but it also makes a great base your favorite add-ins or leftovers to make it more substantial family meal.
Simple, fast, And delicious. How good is that?
Pay attention to how to make it
List of ingredients
- Pasta
- Kalamata or green olives
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Parsley
- fresh lemon
- Chili flakes
- parmesan cheese (optional)
- Salt
How to make pasta with olives
(Note: this is a short description; the complete recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Cook your pasta until al dente.
- Grate the lemon zest and parmesan cheese, then chop the parsley. my microplane And herb scissors makes these tasks easier!
- Gently fry the olives, garlic and chili flakes in olive oil.
- Drain and add your spaghetti to the pan. I love this one; This provides perfect non-stickiness.
- Add the lemon and parsley mixture and a little pasta water, then stir until evenly mixed. Enjoy!
Recipe notes
Ingredients
Pasta: Premium quality spaghetti, linguine, bucatini, chunky rigatoni, or penne are perfect for this recipe. We love too whole wheat pasta, which provides extra fiber and micronutrients.
Olive: Kalamata olives add a lot of savory flavor, but you can use other delicious flavors green olives instead; just make sure it’s correct pitted. To use up your leftover olives, you might check out these delicious treats olive focaccia or chickpea salad.
Chili Flakes: I like the spicy taste, but if spicy is not your thing, feel free to skip or reduce the amount.
Extra-virgin olive oil: I recommend using good quality olive oil to enjoy the delicious fruity taste.
Lemon & parsley: The freshness balances the sharp taste of the olives. If you want, you can skip the parsley, but don’t skip the lemon zest!
parmesan cheese: This adds a lot of flavor, but you can skip it if you want to make vegan pasta; the pasta will still be delicious.
Salt: Salt is basically needed for the pasta cooking water, not for the olives, which already provide a salty taste to the dish along with the savory parmesan cheese and salty pasta water.
Add-ins are welcome!
This quick spaghetti with olives is versatile and pairs well additional vegetables or protein. You can add any of these delicious additions to the pan when you cook the olives:
- Roast chicken, a number of anchovyor canned tuna fish.
- The cherries are halved tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoesor canned artichoke
- Kale, bell peppersAnd zucchini is a great choice. Broccoli And cauliflower works very well too, but you have to cook them separately, and it takes longer.
Storage tips
This pasta with olives is best eaten immediately, but leftovers store well in the refrigerator 3-4 daysand you can reheat it in a pan with a little water or olive oil.
An easier pasta recipe?
I’m ready to help you! We love pasta, from quick recipe to Vegan pasta recipe and everything in between:
If you make this quick pasta with olives or have any questions, let me know by leaving a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts! X
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Pasta with Olives.
It’s this simple pasta with olives combines pantry staples, juicy olives and fresh lemon zest to create a flavorful midweek family dinner. Easy, fast, and also budget-friendly.
Portion: 4
Calories: 371kcal
Olive
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzle
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼ or ½ teaspoon chili flakes (crushed red peppers), according to your taste
- ¾ cup Kalamata olives or green olives, pitted and cut in half
- 1 lime, Spirit
- 3 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated (more for serving if desired) optional
- salt, enough
Pasta
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First, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until cooked al dente. Follow the instructions on the package.
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When you drain the pasta, reserve at least some ½ cup pasta cooking water.
Olive
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While the pasta is cooking, prepare the olives. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
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Add the garlic and chili flakes, cook until fragrant (about 30-45 seconds), then add the olives and stir for about 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat.
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In a small bowl, combine the grated parmesan cheese if you are using it, the chopped parsley, and the grated lemon zest.
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When the pasta is drained, add it to the skillet along with the parsley, lemon and parmesan cheese mixture. Turn on the heat, add a little of the pasta cooking water and stir for about 10 seconds, until well mixed and well coated. Add the cooking water little by little, not to reduce the taste.
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Serve hot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of chili if you like. Plus grated parmesan cheese if you don’t make it vegan. Enjoy!
Nutrition facts: Please note that nutritional values are based on an online nutritional calculator. These are estimates only and should not be considered a substitute for the advice of a professional nutritionist. The nutritional value is for one serving (excluding parmesan cheese and a small amount of olive oil).
Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrate: 44G | Proteins: 12G | Fat: 16G | Saturated fat: 4G | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 715mg | Potassium: 194mg | Fiber: 3G | Sugar: 2G | vitamin A: 706IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 1mg
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