It’s a light meal, perfect for meatless nights, and comes together super fast. This gorgeous dish can be your easy weeknight dinner or a meal for special occasions. This simple, rustic pasta can be on your table in about 20 minute. We’re sure you’ll be coming back to this one! Sicilian cuisine has been influenced by a variety of cultures over time. You’ll find hints of Arabic, Greek, North African and more. One great example of Sicilian food is our Eggplant Caponata. The Mediterranean island is also where the use of pasta was first recorded in Italy. This easy Sicilian pasta features a generous helping of olives and beautiful cherry tomatoes. It’s also very customizable, and I’ll give you some great variations later in the post. You can use any olives you like, but if you have access to an olive bar at one of your local grocery stores, you can load up on a variety of colors and sizes to make the meal look more festive.
Ingredients
Pasta – We used orecchiette, but any shape you prefer will work. Extra Virgin Olive Oil – A good bit. Garlic Red Chili Flakes – For a little kick. Tomato Paste White Wine Olive Bar Mix – We mixed olives, cherry peppers and artichoke hearts. Capers Cherry Tomatoes Parmesan Cheese Parsley
How to make Sicilian Pasta
This all comes together pretty fast. First, cook your pasta in salted water according to the directions on the package. Be sure to reserve a bit of the pasta water before draining. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add in the garlic and red chili flakes and stir for about a minute, until it gets fragrant. Then stir in tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in the wine and simmer till it reduces. Add olives, cherry peppers, artichoke hearts and capers and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in cooked pasta, pasta water, cherry tomatoes, parmesan cheese and parsley. Mix everything well. Once it’s nice and hot, serve!
Variations
This can have all sorts of other add ins for different flavors and textures.
Roasted eggplant would make a nice addition. First cut it into 1 inch cubes, then roast on a parchment paper lined sheet pan for about 30 minutes in a 450°F oven. Flip it after about 20 minutes. Add in some anchovies. They are very common in Sicilian cuisine. For even deeper flavors, swap the cherry tomatoes for sundried tomatoes. Replace the parsley with fresh basil, or a mixture of basil and oregano. Fresh mozzarella balls would go great in this pasta. Add in some cubed Genoa salami. Garnish the dish with toasted pine nuts.
Storage and Reheating
This easy pasta is great as leftovers for the next few days. Store it in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on stovetop over medium heat, with a splash of water or olive oil if it has dried out. So there you have it, another great pasta recipe. Aren’t they always so easy and comforting? And the whole family loves them! When you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment, I love hearing from you! Pin or bookmark this great recipe so you always know where to find it. And be sure to subscribe to GypsyPlate, we’re always cooking up new easy recipes for you! For more easy weeknight dinners, check out our hand picked collection of Dinner Ideas for Tonight. Until next time…
Sicilian Pasta, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great pasta recipes!Creamy Ground Chicken PastaGigi Hadid PastaRasta PastaShrimp Fra DiavoloMediterranean PastaEspagueti VerdePastalaya
