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
Units
Scale
- 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
