Olive, Thyme and Lemon Pasta

I almost considered re-making this recipe before posting, but I think I'll do a follow-up and edit after making it again later. For now, I'd still like to share it with you. The recipe is crazy (yep- cRaZy!) easy, and very tasty. Wonderful weeknight meal.

The only reason I considered waiting, was to make sure I could recommend the right measurements, but I'm pretty confident in my adjustments. The original recipe calls for waaayyyyyy too much parsley. It's like you're eating parsley, with a bit of olive and noodles. So the below measurements are adjusted according to my preferences.

I was especially excited to make this pasta because I was told by my Doctor that squeezing a slice of fresh lemon food will allow my body to ingest more iron naturally from the food. I hadn't known that, thanks Doc! Making sure you get enough Iron is something very important for veggies, especially the vegetarian ladies out there. So, if you're not making this pasta tonight, and have a salad, chili, or whatever planned, be sure to give it just a little kick with a squeeze of lemon wedge. I love lemons, so this was an easy 'prescription' for me to follow.

(Sorry about the dark photo!)


Olive, Thyme and Lemon Pasta
adapted from Martha Stewart

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for water
8 ounces dried pappardelle (I used linguine and loved it)
16 Kalamata olives, pitted (I used 8 Kalamata olives + 8-10 green olives, pitted)
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (I didn't have fresh, and used dried - 1 teaspoon)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon juice from the lemon
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes (more, to taste, if you prefer a spicy bite!)


Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pappardelle, and cook until pasta is al dente, following label directions. Drain in a colander, reserving 1 cup cooking water.

While pasta is cooking, combine olives, parsley, olive oil, thyme, lemon zest, orange zest, and red-pepper flakes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until a chunky puree forms. Transfer to a warm serving bowl large enough to accommodate cooked pasta.

Add pasta, and toss to combine. Add 1/4 cup cooking water, and toss to combine. Add more water if necessary; pappardelle has a tendency to absorb liquid quickly, so more water may be needed. The sauce should cling to ribbons of pasta but should not be dry. Serve immediately.

Serves 2, or 4 to 6 as an appetizer

Guten appetit!