Olives are a great food to snack on, but they’re also an easy way to add depth and flavour to a dish, and Jamie Oliver’s recipe for black olive pasta is no exception. A quick and filling weeknight meal, this recipe makes enough to feed the family without the hassle of having to clean up a pile of pots and pans afterwards, as the “easy no-cook sauce” comes together in one simple blitz using a blender.
The recipe, which is featured on Jamie Oliver’s website, is from the celebrity chef’s £1 Wonders & Money-Saving Meals cookbook. This cookbook is full of everyday recipes that are quick to make and budget-friendly. It’s worth noting, however, that the dishes featured are calculated per portion. As this recipe is enough for four people, it would cost slightly more, but it is still a cheap way to make a filling pasta in just over 10 minutes.
One user commented: “This is SO EASY incredibly tasty. Definitely getting added to my repertoire of easy pasta dishes! My kids love olives and this is a HIT.”
Making up the bulk of the dish, black olives are readily available in any supermarket, ranging from 89p in Aldi, to £1.20 in Tesco and £1.30 in Morrisons.
Often used in Mediterranean-inspired dishes, black olives are a great staple to have in your cupboard to bulk up meals, from pasta to salads and even rice dishes.
Jamie Oliver’s black olive pasta recipe
Ingredients
- 300g dried linguine
- One clove of garlic
- 200g black olives, pitted, plus extra to serve
- Four sprigs of thyme (ideally lemon)
- Olive oil
- Two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 50g feta cheese
Method
Cook the pasta for eight to 10 minutes or according to the packet instructions.
While the pasta is cooking, make your sauce. Peel the garlic and place it in a blender with the olives, half the thyme leaves, a teaspoon of black pepper, six tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Blitz until it’s smooth.
Once the pasta is cooked, reserve a mug of starchy cooking water before draining it. Add the pasta back to the pan with half the olive sauce. You can save the rest in the fridge for up to three days or freeze it into ice cubes for future meals.
Toss the sauce together, adding a splash of cooking water to loosen it. Once combined, divide the pasta between plates, drizzling with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to finish.
Crumble over the feta and remaining thyme, then thinly slice and scatter over some olives.
