Simple Mediterranean Olive Oil Pasta I’d venture to say that this straightforward Mediterranean olive oil spaghetti is perfection straight out of a textbook! It uses only a few ingredients and extra virgin olive oil instead of heavy sauces and all the fluff.
Spaghetti aglio e olio, or spaghetti with oil and garlic, is a classic dish from Naples that serves as the basis for this easy pasta recipe.
A classic spaghetti aglio e olio recipe calls for coating pasta in a basic sauce made of garlic and olive oil, then garnishing it with parsley and occasionally grated Parmesan.
However, by including a couple of our favourite ingredients—grape tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, feta, and olives—this Mediterranean olive oil pasta goes a little bit farther.
Ingredients:
- One pound of thin spaghetti
- One-half cup of Private Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil, also known as Early Harvest Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil
four smashed garlic cloves - Salt
- One cup of freshly chopped parsley
- 12 ounces of halved grape tomatoes
- Three green onions, both the greens and the whites cut off at the top sliced
- One teaspoon of black pepper
- Six ounces of marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- half a cup of pitted olives
- a cup of crumbled feta cheese
- additional if desired
- 10–15 fresh, torn basil leaves
- one lemon’s zest
- optional crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
- Cook thin spaghetti pasta according to package directions until it’s al dente; mine took six minutes to cook in plenty of boiling water seasoned with salt and olive oil.
- When the pasta is almost done, place a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add the extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and a small teaspoon of salt and reduce the heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 seconds. Add the chopped scallions, tomatoes, and parsley and stir. Cook for about 30 seconds on low heat, or until just warmed through.
- Once the pasta is cooked, take it off the heat, pour the cooking water out, and put it back in the pot. Add the heated olive oil sauce and mix until everything is well coated. To coat, add the black pepper and toss one more.
- Mix in the other ingredients and give it another stir. Serve right away in spaghetti bowls, garnishing each with more feta and basil leaves if desired. Have fun!
A few suggestions for this spaghetti with olive oil
First of all, the flavour of the extra virgin olive oil is highlighted in this dish and is greatly relied upon. For a short while, the oil gets fully heated but not fried. Because of this, you should use the highest grade extra virgin olive oil that you can buy.
Keep in mind that oils that are simply labelled “pure” typically lack flavour and character because they have been mechanically purified and heat-treated.