If you’ve never had olive pesto before, get ready to take your tastebuds on an adventure! This Creamy Olive Pesto Pasta is bursting with bold, Mediterranean flavor that gives this pesto an exciting twist on tradition.
For most of my life I thought that pesto was pretty much exclusively made with basil. Not so! Pesto can be made with lots of varieties of herbs, greens, and even olives!
I discovered olive pesto existed while I was visiting Austria. I was at the grocery store reaching for a jar of basil pesto when I spotted an olive pesto right next to it and I was intrigued so I grabbed both. To my surprise, I preferred the olive pesto over the traditional basil pesto. I was eager to recreate those flavors at home, and fresh is always best!
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Olive Pesto Pasta
This Creamy Olive Pesto Pasta is creamy, bold, and zesty in just the right way. Tossed with your choice of pasta and colorful sautéed veggies, this flavorful pasta dish is unique and absolutely delicious. Looking for more protein? Sometimes I add Crispy Golden Baked Tofu, which pairs perfectly with this pasta dish and makes a protein-packed meal.
For those avoiding added oils, this is perfect recipe for you! Olives are a great whole food source of natural oil, so no added oil is necessary!
Tips for Success
- Don’t overcook the pasta! Cook until al dente. Not only is mushy pasta unappealing but you may want to heat everything together on low at the very end if the veggies finish cooking first.
- Prefer different vegetables? Go for it! The pesto is the star here, and it makes nearly any combo shine. Other veggies that work great in this pasta dish are cauliflower, asparagus, and bell peppers.
Are olives healthy?
Olives belong to a group of fruit called drupes (or stone fruits) and are related to mangoes, cherries, peaches, almonds, and pistachios.
More than just tasty, olives are rich in vitamin E, polyphenol antioxidants, and also contain minerals including calcium. 1 Unfortunately, olives have a pretty high sodium content from the brine they’re packaged in as well as a high fat content. There is a silver lining: the fat is mostly oleic acid, a type of monounsaturated fat, which is a healthy fat. You won’t want to sit down with a big bowl of olives everyday and snack until you’re full, but incorporating olives into your diet occasionally is just fine and has healthy perks.
Creamy Olive Pesto Pasta
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
Ingredients
- 11-12 oz pasta of choice
Veggies
- ⅓ of a large red onion thinly sliced rounds
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup zucchini sliced into rounds, then cut into half moons
- 2 small sweet peppers, sliced or ½ of a bell pepper
Olive Pesto
- ⅓ cup walnuts or ¼ cup pine nuts
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1- 6 oz can green olives, drained
- ¼ cup kalamata olives
- 1 cup arugula
- ¼ cup parsley
- 3 tsp lemon juice
Garnish
- cherry tomatoes sliced
Instructions
- Olive Pesto: Place ⅓ cup walnuts, 3 cloves garlic, and 2 Tbsps nutritional yeast in a food processor and pulse until chopped. Then add everything else under "olive pesto" and process until pesto is finely chopped and desired pesto consistency, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides.
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook 11-12 oz pasta until al dente according to package directions. Once al dente, strain water and return pasta back to pot. Toss with olive pesto immediately, while pasta is still hot.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Using a drizzle of oil or splash of water, sauté onions, mushrooms, with a pinch of salt until mushrooms begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini and sweet peppers and cook until softened.
- Stir cooked the veggies into the pesto pasta. Serve immediately, garnishing with cherry tomatoes.
Notes
Did you enjoy this Creamy Olive Pesto Pasta? I’d love to hear about it in a comment! 🙂
My partner and I have been looking to add more vegan dishes to our diet. You’re sister Sarah recommended your blog and I was immediately attracted to this recipe. It has everything we love! I made it exactly as written , except I added a lot of fresh sliced cherry tomatoes. (there wasn’t a quantity listed). It was phenomenal! we both gave it a high rating and plan to eat it again this month. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you Karen for taking the time to leave a review, this made my day! 🙂 I’m so glad that you guys enjoyed my Olive Pesto Pasta recipe, it’s one of my favorites!! I love pesto everything but the olive pesto is a fun variation from the usual basil pesto. Happy to hear it turned out great and you both loved it!