Quick Sun-dried Tomato Olive and Spinach Pasta
Perfect for those nights where you are not inspired or super crunched for time, this Quick Sun-dried Tomato Olive and Spinach Pasta is ready in just as much time as it take to cook a pot of spaghetti. The true kicker is it’s so good, it’s totally company-worthy!
If there was one dish that I would absolutely not mind eating every single week, and even several times a week, it would be this one. In fact, I always make sure to have all the ingredients needed to make it on hand, in my fridge and pantry.
This beauty has instantly become a big favorite in this household, and with reason. I mean, not only does this dish come together super quickly (you’ll probably have to wait on your pasta being ready before you can toss them in with the rest of the stuff) but it’s also crazy delicious. So good in fact, it’s totally company worthy. Especially if said company happens to show up last minute and unannounced. No big deal. If that happens, just do a double, or even triple batch. Be warned though: if you serve them this Sun-dried Tomato Olive and Spinach Pasta, there’s a good chance that they’ll make a habit of showing up on the fly like that.
And if you’re cooking just for yourself, you can just as easily halve the recipe. Or do a full batch and reheat the leftovers later.
Seriously this is a recipe you will want to know by heart – and won’t have a hard time learning either!
Since cooking the pasta is what takes the longest, start by bringing plenty of salted water to the boil to cook the pasta in; while that is happening, prep all your ingredients so they are ready to use when you need them.
My favorite pasta to use it tricolor vegetable spaghetti, but feel free to use your favorite kind of pasta. Also, if you’re a huge fan of spinach like me, don’t be afraid to double or even triple the amount!! You know how it goes with spinach, right? You add mounds of it and end up with a teaspoon…
Once your water comes to a roaring boil, add the pasta to it and then, heat the olive oil in a saute pan set over medium heat; add the garlic to the pan and cook it until browned and fragrant, about 1 minute.
I think that roasting the garlic to golden perfection is one of the key steps in the success of this dish. It’s like the foundation, the robust aroma that sets the tone and infuses the oil with all its love, which will later coat and flavor everything it touches! So really make sure to wait until it’s beautiful and golden and super fragrant before you add the rest of the ingredients. Don’t wait too long, though. You wouldn’t want to burn it!
As soon as the garlic has reached the right color, don’t waste time and quickly throw in the rest of the ingredients, i.e. the spinach, olives, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts, all at once. This will prevent your garlic from overcooking or worse, burning!
Stir well and cook for about a minute, or just until the spinach is good and wilted, and then kill the heat.
Now chances are at this point, you’ll have to wait a minute or two for your pasta to be done. Test it, just to be sure… As soon as it’s cooked to your liking, fish that spaghetti out of the pot with a pasta fork or a pair of kitchen tongs and drop it directly into the pan.
Give everything a gentle toss, so every last bit gets coated in the oh-so-fragrant roasted garlic infused oil and serve without delay.
If you should be lucky enough as to generate leftovers, simply reheat them by sauteing them quickly in a pan set over medium heat. It’ll be just as good, and perhaps even better!
Quick Sun-dried Tomato Olive and Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz tricolor vegetable spaghetti, (or other long pasta of your choice)
- 2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 16 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup chopped baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup sliced green olives
- 1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring plenty of salted water to the boil to cook the pasta; while that is happening, prep all your ingredients so they are ready to use when you need them.
- Once the water comes to a roaring boil, add the pasta to it and then, heat the olive oil in a saute pan set over medium heat; add the garlic to the pan and cook it until browned and fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Promptly add the rest of the ingredients, all at once, and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute, then kill the heat.
- As soon the pasta is cooked to your liking, fish it out with a pasta fork or kitchen tongs and drop directly into the pan; toss delicately until well combined and serve without delay.
Nutrition
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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7 Comments on “Quick Sun-dried Tomato Olive and Spinach Pasta”
Hi Sonia,
I can’t find a ‘print recipe’ button. Am I missing it?
Enjoy your posts!
Paula
There’s one in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
This was delicious! I had forgotten to buy walnuts, so I left them out. Next time, I’ll remember those, add a few red pepper flakes while roasting the garlic, and a splash of lemon juice at the end. Thanks for a great weekend recipe that feels like a Sunday dinner!
Oh, what lovely additions! I totally approve and may have to try them myself! 🙂
Incredibly flavorful! I was really skeptical about the addition of walnuts, but they brought a wonderful flavor and textural contrast to the dish.
I swapped for penne and added some red bell pepper, chickpeas, and nutritional yeast because I had them on hand.
Sounds yummy, Zach! And thanks much for the positive feedback, I greatly appreciate it!
Delicious!!! Use palmini noodles & it was amazing