This is my go-to “pantry panic” dinner. You know the kind—it’s 6:30 PM, you haven’t been to the grocery store in a week, and staring at the fridge isn’t making food appear. I almost always have a jar of sun-dried tomatoes and a can of olives in the back of the cupboard, and honestly, sometimes this tastes better than a planned meal.
It’s a simple aglio e olio base (garlic and oil) bumped up with briny olives and sweet, chewy tomatoes. The trick here is really using that starchy pasta water. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve drained the pasta and poured all the water down the sink by accident, only to realize my mistake two seconds later. Don’t be like me; save that water. It turns the oil into an actual sauce that clings to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Ingredients
- 8–10 oz dried pasta (short shapes like penne hold the bits better, but spaghetti works too)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed works best; if using dry, rehydrate them in hot water first)
- ½ cup black olives or Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (add more if you like heat)
- Pinch of dried basil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Boil the Pasta: Get a pot of salted water boiling and drop in your pasta. Cook it until it’s al dente (has a little bite).
- The Crucial Step: Before you dump the pasta into a colander, scoop out a mugful of the boiling water. You will need this later. Drain the pasta.
- Sauté Aromatics: In a large skillet (or the same pot you boiled the water in to save on dishes), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic. Cook for just 30–60 seconds. If the garlic turns dark brown, it will taste bitter, so keep it moving.
- Build Flavor: Toss in the sliced tomatoes, olives, red pepper flakes, and dried basil. Stir them around for a minute to release their flavors into the oil.
- Combine: Dump the cooked pasta into the skillet. Pour in a splash of that reserved pasta water (start with 1/4 cup). Toss everything together vigorously. The water helps emulsify the oil so it coats the noodles. If it looks dry, add a little more water.
- Season: Taste it first! Olives and sun-dried tomatoes are salt bombs, so you might not need extra salt. Add plenty of black pepper. Serve with Parmesan.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Pantry Friendly: It relies almost entirely on jarred and dry goods that last forever.
- Speed: The sauce is made in the time it takes the pasta to boil.
- Flexible: If you don’t have black olives, green ones work. No sun-dried tomatoes? Roasted red peppers are a decent swap.
Chef’s Tips for Perfection
- Chop the Tomatoes: Sun-dried tomatoes can be tough and leathery. I like to slice them into thin strips or small bits so you don’t end up chewing on a giant piece of tomato skin while eating soft pasta.
- Oil Quality: Since there are so few ingredients, the flavor of the olive oil actually comes through. Use the good stuff if you have it.
- Using the Tomato Oil: If your sun-dried tomatoes came in a jar with seasoned oil, substitute a tablespoon of that oil for the regular olive oil in the pan. It adds a ton of flavor.
Storage and Reheating
This keeps in the fridge for about 3 days. Because it’s an oil-based sauce, the pasta will absorb the moisture as it sits. When reheating, add a splash of water and microwave it covered, or toss it back in a pan to wake up the oil.
Nutritional Notes
This is a lighter pasta dish since there’s no heavy cream, but the calories come primarily from the olive oil and pasta. It’s naturally vegetarian.
