An Easy Lemon Olive Pasta that’s proof that the simplest meals are often the most satisfying. No sauce to simmer, no long ingredient list—just good olive oil, garlic, lemon, olives, and hot pasta doing what they do best.
A Five-Ingredient Pasta That Delivers Big Flavour
The method is almost effortless. Garlic blooms gently in olive oil, hot pasta goes straight into the bowl, and a splash of starchy pasta water creates an instant, silky coating. We use only the residual heat from the pasta to barely cook the garlic.
Lemon zest brings brightness, lemon juice adds lift, and a mix of green and black olives gives just enough briny depth to keep things interesting. Finished with Parmesan, it’s sharp, salty, comforting, and fresh all at once.
Lemon Olive Pasta for Any Season, Hot or Cold
Serve it hot, warm, or chilled as a pasta salad. Eat it on its own, or alongside grilled vegetables or fish. Also delightful with a good roasted chicken, which you could easily shred and add.Personally, I like a good ridged or curly pasta, to collect all the bits of garlic and lemon and I always have olives. ALWAYS.
This is everyday cooking at its most honest—nothing fancy, nothing forced, just pure Italian simplicity.
Why I Love It
This is exactly my kind of recipe. Minimal, elegant, and quietly brilliant. That’s why Italians have been serving similar dishes forever—and for good reason. I like to toss whole-leaf, fresh herbs in at the end.
It respects the ingredients. It’s fast, flexible, and deeply satisfying without trying to impress anybody. This the kind of pasta you make on a weeknight and – over, and over, and over again. Buon Appetito.
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Easy Lemon Olive Pasta
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: serves 2
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This easy lemon olive pasta uses just five ingredients; pasta, olive oil, garlic, lemon, and olives for a simple, but elegant Italian-inspired dish you can serve hot, warm, or cold.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dried pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or short pasta)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup mixed green and black olives - whole, sliced or crushed
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
- handful of whole parsley or basil leaves, optional
- Salt, to taste
- Reserved pasta cooking water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Reserve at least ½ cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- In a large heatproof bowl, combine olive oil and garlic.
- Add the hot, drained pasta directly to the bowl along with a splash of reserved pasta water. Toss until glossy and lightly coated.
- Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and olives. Toss again, adding more pasta water as needed to loosen. Toss in fresh herbs; parley or basil.
- Finish with Parmesan cheese and adjust seasoning with salt.
- Serve hot, warm, or chilled as a pasta salad.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
