Aren't there times when you crave something starchy and fulfilling at the end of a long day but you really don't want to dig into unhealthy stuff? That would be just the perfect time to try this 15-minute to make Spaghetti With Olives + Fresh Tomato Sauce.
You'll only need a handful of ingredients to make it. Such as fresh tomatoes (go for sweet and ripe) a tiny bit of sugar to enhance the sweetness of the tomatoes, onion, garlic, Kalamata olive slices (you can also use green olives as well if you like), extra virgin olive oil, dried thyme and oregano to taste. That's all you need to make a true Mediterranean pasta from scratch. And if you want to make it even healthier use whole wheat spaghetti. I know, not everyone likes it, but I personally find it more flavorful than white pasta.
How To Make A Super Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce
This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make a fresh tomato sauce. It's not very saucy since the star of this dish are the olives. Therefore the sauce is used to give that extra bit of flavor. If you want a fresh tomato sauce that's more saucy-like check out this 15-minute fresh tomato sauce.
So to make this sauce, you don't need to fine chop anything or even skin the tomatoes. Just blend the onion and garlic using a food processor or small blender along with a bit of olive oil. Once it becomes a paste remove and set aside.
Remove the stems of the tomatoes and cut into chunky pieces and add to the food processor as well. Blend until smooth. Saute the onion and garlic paste in a saucepan or skillet along with a bit of olive oil and then add the blended tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes along with a bit of sugar and salt leaving the tomatoes to drain almost completely (this way you caramelize them and remove their sourness). Make sure you stir occasionally using a wooden spoon at this point so you won't burn the tomatoes.
Then add some pasta water that you saved (the water you boiled the pasta in, which thickens the sauce and makes it more glazy) and simmer for a few minutes before adding the remaining ingredients and finish the dish.
OTHER INGREDIENTS YOU MAY ADD TO A SPAGHETTI WITH OLIVES⬇
- Chopped capers. Mix in along with the olives.
- Sun-dried tomato slices. Mix in along with the olives as well.
- Crumbled Feta cheese. Stir in at the last minute of cooking.
- Fresh basil leaves instead of thyme and oregano.
- Anchovies. Add at the same time as the olives.
- Hot red pepper, or spicy red peppers flakes. Mix in once you remove from heat.
SERVE WITH ⬇
A Greek or Italian cheese like Kefalotyri, Feta, Parmesan, or Pecorino. You may also serve along with crispy croutons on top. Try these super quick and easy to make Homemade Garlic Croutons.
Spaghetti With Olives + Fresh Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 400 grams / 14.10 oz fresh and ripe tomatoes stems removed
- 40 grams / 1.4 oz kalamata olive slices
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅓ teaspoon sugar
- 250 grams / 8.8 oz spaghetti
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package instructions remove 2 minutes earlier to finish off in the sauce later on. Save ½ cup of the water you boiled the pasta in and set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, add the garlic and onion, along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Remove and set aside. Rinse the blender to remove remnants of the paste.
- Cut the tomatoes into chunky pieces and add to the blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- In a large saucepan or skillet, heat the remaining 5 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic paste and cook for a minute or 2 until golden in color.
- Pour in the blended tomatoes and season with a bit of kosher salt (keep in mind the pasta water which already contains a bit of salt). Add the sugar and cook stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes until the sauce looks like it starts to drain up and get sticky to the bottom. Then pour the pasta water in, add the oregano and thyme. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes more uncovered.
- Add the olives and pasta and cook for one minute more stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Serve pasta with a generous sprinkle of freshly ground pepper, and some Greek Kefalotyri, Parmesan or Pecorino cheese.
Nutrition
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Αγαπητή Φωτεινή, πιο απλό πιο καλό. It's all in the ingredients, this recipe can be prepare in no time and requires little equipment referring to the two burner stoves we usually get in rented studios. The food processor is not essential to the success of the recipe but I will try pasting the onion and garlic when our fresh tomatoes will be available. I believe reheating it the next day must be ever tastier when all the ingredients have blended together. Thank you again.
Exactly Paul, you can even enjoy it as a pasta salad if you use a different type of pasta. If you are planning to make it in Naxos using their tomatoes then you're so lucky, they really have the best there!