Olive pasta (vegan recipes)

About a thousand years ago I went to visit my sister and brother-in-law and they made me this dish and I’ve been hooked ever since. Let’s dive into the olive pasta!

So what’s olive pasta? It’s pretty much whatever you want it to be. I’ve made it with two different kinds of olives, one kind, two kinds plus a spicy pepper, I’ve added friend tofu, served it with spaghetti, penne, bow ties, a bed of spinach, IT DOESN’T MATTER. If you like olives, you’ll like this.

What I’m doing these days is as follows:

Kalamata olives
Jumbo Sicilian olives (green)
Broccoli
Pasta: usually penne, went with bow ties on this occasion
Go Veggie! Cheesy Bliss Grated Parmesan Style Topping
Olive Oil
Fresh Garlic
Italian Seasoning
Basil seasoning
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder

I start by chopping olives. I cut the Kalamata olives in half but I have to quarter the jumbo Sicilian. (I usually get my olives from Maywood Market Place. They sell my preferred olives pitted, which is a huge time saver – so big, in fact, that I’m willing to minor sacrifice in flavor you’d get from pitting them yourself.) Then I realize I should have started by boiling the water for my pasta and do that. Then I remember I need to cut the garlic and get that in the pan to sauté it in some olive oil.

Now this is a great scene, but hey, they’re right – if you can bother to cut the garlic this thing, IT IS A GOOD SYSTEM! I just can’t be bothered. My method for trying to liquify the garlic without burning it is to turn the burner off when it gets hot, let it cool, turn it back on, let it get hot, turn it off again, and so on. I don’t stand there for hours waiting, it’s just something to quickly managing while you’re doing the other prep.

Lately, I’ve been getting the frozen broccoli florets from Whole Foods and just cooking them in the microwave in a casserole dish. Feel free to turn up your nose – I won’t be offended.

Anyway, once your pasta is drained, hopefully, your garlic is nice and ready and you can add the pasta to the garlic and oil. Give that a good mix. This is where I add my seasonings: garlic powder (no, the fresh garlic was not enough, and it never will be), onion powder (just a quick once over), Italian seasoning and basil seasoning. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, the Italian seasoning probably has basil in it, but that’s just not enough basil for me!

Sorry. What I meant to say was, “Season to taste.”

Then drop in the broccoli, mix again, and finally, drop in the olives, mix again. I prefer the olives just get a bit warm – I wouldn’t cook them. I find the taste of the olives alters in a way I don’t care for, so this is when I turn off the flame on my range.

Now just plate, add some Parmesan Style Topping and you’re good to go. I add some black pepper or crushed chili pepper on my own plate, but to each their own.

The beauty of this dish is you can throw in whatever you want. Add some tofu. Fresh basil. Some sort of plant based chicken strips. My point is that if you sauté some garlic in olive oil and drop in your favorite olives on top of any pasta, you’re going to be happy.