I dare say, this simple Mediterranean olive oil pasta is textbook Mediterranean diet deliciousness! It skips all the fluff and heavy sauces in favor of extra virgin olive oil and a few ingredients.
This simple olive oil pasta recipe takes inspiration from the popular Naples dish called spaghetti aglio e olio, which translates to spaghetti with garlic and oil.
In a typical spaghetti aglio e olio recipe, pasta is coated in a simple garlic-olive oil sauce, then garnished with parsley and, sometimes, grated Parmesan.
But this Mediterranean olive oil pasta goes just a little bit further, by adding a few favorite ingredients like grape tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, feta and olives.
A couple of tips for this olive oil pasta
First, this dish makes a feature of extra virgin olive oil and relies heavily on its flavor. The oil is briefly heated through, but not cooked. That’s why, you’ll want to use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can afford.
Remember, oils that are simply labeled “pure” have usually been heat-treated and refined by mechanical means and, consequently, lack character and flavor.
Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For this recipe, I always use our Greek Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil. It is organically grown and processed from native Koroneiki olives, which are hand-picked early in the season while still green, and processed within ours to make this prized ‘liquid gold’ they call ‘agoureleo.’
Our Early Harvest oil is an exquisite cold extracted and unfiltered oil with a perfectly balanced complexity— rich green, fruity and pungent with a peppery finish. Our oil features exceptionally high levels of polyphenols and low acidity of less than 0.35%.
Read more about our Early Harvest oil here! It makes a ton of difference in dishes like this Mediterranean olive oil pasta.
Secondly, when making the sauce, do not allow the garlic to brown, it will taint its flavor. If it does brown or burn, you’ll need to toss it and start over.
Of course, if you’re in the mood for something saucy, be sure to check out my homemade spaghetti sauce recipe!
Watch How to Make this Simple Olive Oil Pasta
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Simple Mediterranean Olive Oil Pasta
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Simple, tasty olive oil pasta loaded with Mediterranean flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 lb thin spaghetti
- 1/2 cup Early Harvest Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or Private Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- Salt
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 12 oz grape tomatoes, halved
- 3 scallions (green onions), top trimmed, both whites and greens chopped
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 6 oz marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- 1/4 cup pitted olives, halved
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, more if you like
- 10–15 fresh basil leaves, torn
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Follow package instructions to cook thin spaghetti pasta to al dente (mine took 6 minutes to cook in plenty of boiling water with salt and olive oil).
- When pasta is almost cooked, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Lower the heat and add garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 seconds, stirring regularly. Stir in the parsley, tomatoes and chopped scallions. Cook over low heat until just warmed through, about 30 seconds or so.
- When the pasta is ready, remove from heat, drain cooking water and return to its cooking pot. Pour the warmed olive oil sauce in and toss to coat thoroughly. Add black pepper and toss again to coat.
- Add the remaining ingredients and toss one more time. Serve immediately in pasta bowls, and if you like, top each with more basil leaves and feta. Enjoy!
Notes
Recommended for this recipe Our Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 9 mins
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Other Recipes to Try
Blackened Chicken and Spaghetti Dinner
This was absolutely incredible! I followed the recipe exactly and just left out the red pepper flakes. Thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe—I absolutely love it and make it quite often! I usually pan fry chicken breast pieces (highly spiced) and include in this dish. I also put in a few little tweaks of my own. If you haven’t tried this recipe yet, you NEED to! It’s yummy!
Thanks so much, Linda!
This is a delicious and colorful meal.! It’s easy to make.‘I will make this again.
Thanks, Marilyn!
Loved this pasta dish didn’t have any fresh basil so I used basil pesto wow That’s wonderful
Great Substitute! Thanks for sharing, Carol!
Amazing recipe. Ditto on all the other positive reviews. 😊
Can I cook the pasta n advance and add to sauce when ready for dinner? Thinking of this as a side for Christmas Eve.
Hi, Lorraine. I’ve never tried that personally, but I don’t see why not :).
This is so good. Very similar to something I regularly make at home, but it’s always nice to taste someone else’s version and this is delightful. I can’t quit eating it, it’s delicious as left overs too!
I paired it with your shrimp skewers and our family loved it!
Oh, my word!! SO yummy…added some diced fresh moz instead of feta. This will be a HUGE fave in our house for years to come!
Yay! Thanks, Linda!
I just made this and it was absolutely incredible! One of the best pastas I’ve ever made in my life. I added a bit of pan fried salmon that I shredded up for some extra protein. Thank you
My pleasure, Mel! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Suzy,
We loved this! The flavors where amazing and it came together so quickly. We made your grilled shrimp kabobs and served the shrimp on top. It was a fabulous dinner and all came together in less than 30 minutes. Perfect weeknight dinner.
Yay! Thanks, Katy!
Hi, Suzy!
I love this pasta dish! I made it today and three in some leftover New Orleans style boiled shrimp. It was AMAZING!!! I love all your recipes and am eating so well! I prefer to eat the recipes from your site and the featured books than eating anything else. Keep up the great work!
Thanks, Amy!
I love this recipe!!! I was wondering if I could add some leftover boiled shrimp to this for protein?
For sure! This is great with shrimp!
I made this pasta dish tonight, and it was amazing!! My husband and I loved it! Love all the flavors. I used less pasta but kept all the ingredient portions the same, plus I did save some pasta water and added that to the mixture. I found an olive combo at Trader Joe’s that was great! I shredded Parmesan cheese on top. Thank you, Suzy for the wonderful recipes and inspiration! I’ve made many of your recipes, they don’t disappoint!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Cathy!
This recipe will definitely make it on my dinner list for the coming week. I have wondered what I could do with the fresh basil growing on my deck! Just need to hop out to get the tomatoes. This is it! I can almost taste it. Thanks for the recipe!!!!!
You will LOVE it! If you grow your own basil, be sure to check out my homemade pesto recipe: Basil Pesto
Delicious!!! I’m trying to get away from the traditional red or white sauces. The recipe incorporates all of my favorite flavor makers such as olives, tomatoes, marinated artichokes, and garlic. Yummy!! Thanks for this great meal idea Suzy.
My pleasure, Arlene! Hope you enjoy it!
Delicious variation to the traditional aglio e olio. One suggestions, though. Try adding a bit of pasta water to the sauce mixture. This helps coat the pasta evenly and adds a bit of creaminess to the dish. It also balances the oil throughout the pasta.
Thanks for sharing that tip, Anne!