Lately I’ve been struggling with an obsession. It’s called olives. I cannot stop thinking about them, and I cannot stop popping them in my mouth. What is happening to me? I hate olives! This just goes to show that food preferences CAN change. First it was cilantro, and now this.
As someone who swells up in the face easily and resembles a Jigglypuff (my lil’ brother was obsessed with Pokemon…don’t judge), whenever excessive sodium is introduced into the body, I try to stay away from salty foods as much as possible. Not this time, I suppose. To help with portion control, I decided to incorporate them into various dishes, Pasta Puttanesca being one of them.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ red onion sliced thinly
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 6 anchovies rinsed and chopped
- 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes and their juice, preferably no salt added
- ½ cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 cup freshly chopped arugula
- Toppings:
- Parmesan cheese crumbled w/fork
- Basil leaves
- Fresh arugula optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water with salt until barely al dente.
- While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add red onion, garlic, anchovies, and red bell pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and onion is slightly caramelized, about 2-4 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and their juice, breaking them up by hand. Stir in capers and olives. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until thickened, approx 8-10 min. Stir in arugula and simmer for a minute until slightly wilted.
- When pasta is done, drain and add to skillet, tossing it with sauce to combine. Top with crumbled cheese and torn basil.
Melanie @ Just Some Salt and Pepper says
I'm not a fan of olives, but I was also not a fan of avocado until this year. I normally sub them out with capers, so I'd probably just leave them out in this recipe. It looks amazing!
Danita @O Taste And See says
This looks great! I'm a new follower from Social Sunday. Look forward to reading more of your posts.
Have a great week
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes says
What a great dish! Thanks for linking up to All My Bloggy Friends this week - shared this on Facebook earlier! Have a great weekend 🙂
Amy Tong says
You're not alone. I used to hate olives and now, I adore them. This Pasta Puttanesca with Arugula is a wonderful way to get the olive fix without indulging too much. What a wonderful recipe! 🙂
Rachelle says
I love pasta puttanesca. What a great idea to add another favorite --arugula.
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says
This pasta dish looks delicious. I love Pasta Puttanesca!
Amy | Club Narwhal says
Min, I am only just lately coming around to olives. But your pasta is making me want to seriously reconsider them as a viable and delicious food thing 🙂
Crystal @ Simply Playful Fare says
This looks awesome, and so healthy! I love olives too. 🙂
Julie Corbisiero says
Hi, this recipe looks so good and something that my family would love for dinner! I saw it on love bakes good cakes.
Julie from julieslifestyle.blogspot.com
Meghan @ Spoonful of Flour says
It is so funny how our food preferences change over time..this pasta looks incredible!
dixya| food, pleasure, and health says
i love me some olives too 🙂 this pasta looks really good