Pasta dishes make great weeknight meals because they usually don’t take much prep and are quick to cook. I am huge green olive (and any olive) fan, but I have noticed people either love green olives, or hate them. If you hate green, you can always sub kalamata or other mixed olives or leave them out.
This recipe uses castelvetrano olives, which are unique in that they are not cured so they are more mild than typical olives. They can be tough to find at the store. I think this dish would be delicious with cured olives as well. I actually added some capers to this for a bit more punch since the olives are mild and I’d probably consider using mixed olives next time instead.
In addition to the olives, the pasta here is topped with broccolini, garlic, scallions, chives, lemon zest and juice, and parmesan. You can’t really have too much parmesan on pasta in my opinion, although I’m sure Italians would disagree. 🙂
This recipe was super fast to make. The broccolini is charred and the bread crumbs are toasted, both important to the flavor of this dish, but those both only took a minute or two.
Linguine with Green Olives, Broccolini and Bread Crumbs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- olive oil
- 1/2 lb broccolini
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 lb linguine
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 scallions sliced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 5 oz castelvetrano olives or other olives
- 2 tbsp chives chopped
- zest of one lemon
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Chop the broccolini into bite sized pieces. Heat a tbsp of oil in a skillet over high until very hot. Add the broccolini and allow it to char a bit. Stir and char the other side a bit. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring until it is bright green and tender. Set aside.
- Wipe the skillet and add a bit more oil. Heat over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs and stir. Cook, stirring, until toasted and golden brown. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Move to bowl.
- Cook the pasta according to instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water for the sauce.
- Wipe the skillet again and heat over medium. Add the butter and garlic. Stir for 30 seconds. Add the cup of pasta water to the skillet and let it simmer for 2 minutes to reduce. Drain the pasta and add the skillet, along with the olives, lemon juice, lemon zest, green onions, chives, broccolini and a few tbsp olive oil. Stir it all together and add more salt and pepper if needed. Top with lots of parmesan and the toasted breadcrumbs.