Green Olive Pasta ~

Briny and herbaceous flavors of buttery Castelvetrano olives with fresh parsley, garlic, and a hint of lemon. This quick and easy restaurant-quality pasta is ready to serve in 30 minutes or less!

Table of Contents

Ingredients for Green Olive Pasta

You will need:

2 tablespoons vegan butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup shallot, chopped
3 cups Castelvetrano olives, pitted and roughly chopped into large chunks
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped and divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
16 ounces long-cut pasta
1/2 cup vegan Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Ingredient Notes

Long Pasta – Long-cut pasta is the traditional shape for green olive pasta. I used fettuccine because that’s what I had on hand. Spaghetti, linguine, bucatini, and tagliatelle are all good choices for this dish.
Vegan Butter – Adds richness and complements the flavor of the green olives.
Olive Oil – The light flavor of extra virgin olive oil is preferred.
Shallot – Similar to onion but with a more subtle flavor; we don’t want to overpower the olives.
Castelvetrano Olives – Castelvetranos are a variety of green olives known for their smooth and buttery flavor profile. They’re usually slightly pricier than “regular” green olives but the difference is worth the splurge, I promise. My two 10-ounce jars yielded the perfect amount for this recipe.
Garlic – Fresh garlic is best. Garlic powder is not recommended for this recipe.
Parsley – Curly or flat-leaf Italian parsley both work well.
Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest – One large lemon should cover you for both of these ingredients. Dried lemon zest is not recommended.
Ground Black Pepper – For just a touch of heat. Adjust the amount to suit your personal taste.
Long-Cut Pasta – This is the traditional shape for green olive pasta. I used fettuccine because that’s what I had on hand. Spaghetti, linguine, bucatini, and tagliatelle are all good choices for this dish.
Vegan Parmesan Cheese – My current favorite is the Violife brand. It comes in a block that you can shred yourself.

How to Pit Olives with a Knife

Read the label on your olives carefully, friends! In a rush to get through the supermarket, I failed to do this and ended up with two large jars of Castelvetrano olives with their pits all securely intact. It was time to make dinner and I needed these olives. I do not have an olive pitter so I tried the ‘knife method’ and it worked beautifully!

There are two sets to this method and they’re both easy to do:

STEP ONE: Place olives on a flat work surface. Using the flat blade of a chef’s knife, Holding a chef’s knife in one hand, turn the knife so that the flat blade is resting on top of an olive. (Yes, the best way to do this is one olive at a time.)

STEP TWO: Use your free hand to press down on the blade, squishing the olive so that it breaks away from the pit. Pick out the pit by hand and discard it.

This knife method of removing olive pits works for this recipe because we don’t need perfectly round olives. They’re going to get smashed by the knife and that’s okay because you’re going to chop them up anyway.

How to Make Green Olive Pasta

STEP ONE: Into a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter and olive oil. When the butter is melted, add the shallot and olives. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently until the shallot is softened. Add the garlic and continue cooking for an additional 30 seconds.

STEP TWO: Remove from heat then stir in the parsley, lemon juice, and ground black pepper. Set aside.

STEP THREE: Cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente consistency, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain the cooked pasta and immediately return it to the hot cooking pot. Add the reserved pasta cooking water.

STEP FOUR: Pour the olive mixture over the pasta and toss to coat. Adjust seasoning to taste.

STEP FIVE: Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, and lemon zest. Serve hot.

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