Mediterranean Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta

Garlic olive oil pasta in a bowl topped with feta and fresh vegetables.

Mediterranean Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta

Mediterranean garlic and olive oil pasta is a quick and easy restaurant quality meal for your entire family. It’s healthy, flavorful, and perfect for busy weeknights!

Course Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American, Greek, Italian, Mediterranean

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 394kcal

Author Alana Lieberman

Cost $15

Equipment

high sided skillet

Ingredients

17.6 oz spaghetti or bucatini pasta organic semolina or whole wheat
6 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves minced
2 shallots sliced
3 small tomatoes diced
6-8 canned artichoke hearts (1 can, 14 oz) quartered
1 ½ cups canned garbanzo beans (1 can, 15 oz)
4 cups spinach (5.5 oz)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
juice from ½ a lemon
freshly crumbled feta for garnish

Optional additions:

kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, capers, crushed red pepper flakes, zucchini, summer squash

Instructions

Boil the pasta in a separate pot, according to the package instructions. Stop cooking a minute or so before the package says, so that it doesn’t become mushy when you cook it again in olive oil.
When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
In a large high sided skillet, combine olive oil, garlic, shallots, and tomatoes over medium heat. If the garlic starts to turn brown, adjust the heat to medium low to prevent it from burning.
Cook the garlic, shallots, and tomatoes in the oil for a minute until the shallots start to soften and the tomatoes break down.
Add in the artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans, and spinach. Give it a stir to coat in the olive oil. As the artichokes start to break down and the spinach wilts, add in the dried herbs.
Spoon the pasta into the olive oil and toss it to coat. In small increments, add in the reserved pasta water until you get the sauce consistency and creaminess that you like best.
Remove the pasta from the heat, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top, and stir to combine.
Transfer pasta to a serving bowl and top with freshly crumbled feta cheese.

Notes

I like to use organic semolina pasta or whole wheat pasta in this recipe. It lends an incredibly fresh and semi-nutty flavor to the dish. As an added bonus, semolina pasta is higher in protein to keep you fuller longer and whole wheat pasta is higher in fiber to aid in digestion.
Artichoke hearts have a very mild taste. They add a hint of saltiness and a little bit of brininess to the flavor of the pasta. They are soft in texture and fall apart as you cook them.
This pasta is very customizable. Besides the garlic, shallots, tomatoes, and dried herbs that give the sauce flavor, many of the other vegetables can be swapped out with others of your choosing. The above list is not exhaustive, so feel free to add in or remove anything you’d like.
You can keep this as a vegetarian pasta or you can choose to add in your favorite protein. Grilled chicken, shrimp, and steak would all pair very well with this pasta.
This pasta is excellent served as leftovers too. You can either eat it cold like a mediterranean pasta salad (add some diced cucumbers for added crunch!) or heat it up quickly on the stovetop or microwave.

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