Whip & Wander

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Pasta with Olive Tapenade

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Pasta with Olive Tapenade, parmesan, parsley in white bowls, red wine, baguette, striped towel

Pasta with Olive Tapenade: A meatless dish for even the most carnivorous

We’ve gotten into an unfortunate habit in my house of planning meals around what type of meat will be served. I could blame my meat-and-potatoes-loving midwest fella if I wanted to be particularly unfair, but I’m totally guilty of daydreaming my way through menu-planning around rich and hearty beef roasts, herb-rubbed chicken, and oil drizzled fish all on my own. You could say we really lean into a meaty winter menu.

While both of us are decidedly carnivorous, I feel like its nice to break up the week with a few meatless dishes that command their own spotlight. This Pasta with Olive Tapenade is one of my favorite ways to include a meatless dish on the dinner menu without sacrificing the heartiness that comes along with a traditional meat-centric dish. The meaty umami of the olive tapenade is the clear star of the show in this dish. When paired with a simple pasta, a good salty cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil it forms a simple but satisfying powerhouse.

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Pasta with olive tapenade in a saute pan with a silver and red spoon on a marble counter

Pasta with Olive Tapenade, parmesan, parsley, in a white bowl with a white towel on a wood surface

What type of pasta is best?

I generally like to make this with a gluten-free spaghetti (you can use regular if you’re not gluten-free). My favorite options are the Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta, which I’ve easily found at several grocery stores (look for the purple bag), and Trader Joes Brown Rice Spaghetti Pasta. A thin pasta, like spaghetti, allows the olive tapenade to disperse more evenly than a wider noodle, but you can feel free to use your favorite shape. I also think this would be wonderful tossed in with a fusilli pasta because the olive tapenade would cling well to the spirals.

If you’re trying to stay away from grain and want to lighten the carb count of this dish up, zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash are the way to go. The latter being my preference because I feel that it holds up to cooking and reheating better than zucchini noodles.

Pasta with Olive Tapenade in a white bowl with a fork standing up in the pasta, white towel on the side, wooden surface

Pasta with Olive Tapenade in a white bowl on a black and white striped towel with slices of bread

A note for special diets

If you make this Pasta with Olive Tapenade with a brown rice spaghetti, as instructed below, this recipe fits gluten-free and low-fodmap diets. For those abstaining from grain altogether, or would like to lower their carb count, this dish can easily accommodate a Keto diet by subbing the pasta with a low-carb alternative such as zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.

Pasta with Olive Tapenade, parsley, cheese in a white bowl on a wooden surface

Pasta with Olive Tapenade in white bowls with a baguette and sliced bread on a striped towel

corner view of pasta with olive tapenade with slices of bread

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Pasta with Olive Tapenade

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 16oz gluten free brown rice pasta (may sub regular pasta)
  • 1 1/2 cups my quick recipe for Olive Tapenade 
  • 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, shredded and divided
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Fresh chopped parsley to top (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions until it reaches al dente (firm when bitten) tenderness. For the brown rice pasta I use, I bring 4.5 quarts of water to a boil then add the pasta noodles. I don't bother salting my water because the olive tapenade is plenty salty for the dish. Boil for 12-14 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Gluten-free rice pasta has a tendency to stick together when cooking, so giving it a quick stir every couple of minutes helps prevent this without resorting to oiling the water (which every Italian grandmother will likely slap you for doing).
  2. Drain the pasta into a colander. I also like to give the pasta a quick rinse under fresh warm water because it can help remove some of the excess starchiness that gluten-free rice noodles often have.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive tapenade and stir, cooking for about 2 minutes to allow it to get a bit of direct heat before adding the pasta.
  4. Lower the heat to medium and add the pasta and stir to combine.
  5. Sprinkle in 1 cup of the shredded parmesan cheese and stir to combine, then turn heat off.
  6. Serve warm with a sprinkle of the remaining parmesan cheese and parsley on top.

Courses Mains

Cuisine Italian

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1/6 of the pasta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 522

% Daily Value

Total Fat 25 g

38%

Saturated Fat 1 g

5%

Cholesterol 20 mg

7%

Sodium 1165 mg

49%

Total Carbohydrates 63 g

21%

Dietary Fiber 3 g

12%

Protein 13 g

26%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Byron Thomas

    February 19, 2019 at 5:38 am

    I’m in love with this simple pasta! It looks so uncomplicated, yet very tasty! This is the type of dish that keeps people like me – the main cook in our home – sane most weekday nights. 🙂 I love how you’re hunkering down with a bowl of pasta and a side of bread. You know how to live! 🙂

    Reply

  9. Jo

    February 20, 2019 at 4:17 am

    Nice quick dinner like these are simply the best. They are not just convenient to make on busy nights, but it’s also appreciation of simple yet delicious flavors! This looks sooo good!

    Reply

  13. Linda

    February 21, 2019 at 10:35 am

    I like to serve a meatless dinner at least once a week. We too are mainly meat lovers so finding one my husband will like is hard. This spaghetti dish sounds like the perfect compromise. Love that I can use spaghetti squash with it and still have a delicious meal.

    Reply

    • Whip & Wander

      February 26, 2019 at 5:30 pm

      Same here! The first time I made this he asked for me to make a side of meat just in case he needed some more substance. Then once a bowl of this was put in front of him he decided that wasn’t necessary after all. So silly.

      Reply

  21. michele

    February 23, 2019 at 11:26 am

    I love tapenade and cant believe I hadn’t thought of using it over pasta! This was amazing! definitely going to keep this one in my rotation!

    Reply

  27. Chef Markus Mueller

    February 24, 2019 at 4:27 am

    I love making tapenade at home! So easy and a quick way to add a punch of flavour to a lot of different dishes. I like adding it to my tomato sauces to add some rich, salty goodness! Just makes everything seem to pop!

    Reply

  32. Jo

    March 3, 2019 at 7:17 am

    I’m always in search of new ways to enjoy pasta and this olive tapenade pasta looks absolutely delicious. So simply, but packed with so many wonderful flavors. Yum

    Reply

  35. Emmeline

    March 5, 2019 at 10:33 am

    I’ve never had tapenade with pasta before – but I have yet to meet anything with tapenade that I don’t just love so I will have to give this a try!

    Reply

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