Quick Tapenade Pasta

Tapenade pasta makes for a quick and really delicious meal, with black olives, capers, anchovies and sardines.

This recipe shamelessly rips off all of the flavours of a traditional tapenade and turns them into a chunky, punchy sauce to go with beautiful linguine.

It’s important to use a good quality olive oil for this because without this base the flavours won’t carry so well. Likewise, if you can use really good tinned sardines (Portuguese ones are the best – you can get them online), it’ll make all the difference to the final dish.

This recipe will serve at least 4, and takes about 15-20 minutes to make.

Ingredients, Substitutions and Variations

• Linguine – spaghetti or tagliatelle would also work.
• Olive oil – as mentioned, use a good one if you can.
• Anchovies, black olives and capers – all the best tapenades contain anchovies, black olives and capers. You cook the anchovies until they are breaking up, then add the black olives and capers here – it’s a delight!
• Sardines – tinned sardines bring an extra bit of body and flavour to the sauce. They bring that chunkiness that makes this dish into a full meal.
• White wine – to deglaze and make a sauce.
• Lemon juice – optional, but brings a citrusy zing.
• Parsley -fresh parsley just adds that touch of freshness that lifts this tapenade pasta.

Top Tips

1. Don’t add salt You are very unlikely to need to add any extra salt to this sauce, because of the olives, capers and anchovies. Make sure you taste before adding anything.
2. Check your sardines Most tinned sardines have small bones in them, and this usually isn’t an issue because they’re small enough to be edible. Do double check though as you are stirring the sauce that there aren’t any large bones.
3. Make ahead You can make the sauce up to 4 days in advance and keep in the fridge. Cook your pasta just before you serve, reheat the sauce in a frying pan and combine with the cooked pasta.

More quick and easy pasta recipes to enjoy:

• 15 Minute Creamy Chorizo and Leek Pasta
• 15 Minute Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta
• Parma Ham, Fig and Blue Cheese Spaghetti
• 4 Ingredient Pea and Cream Cheese Pasta
• Mushroom, Courgette and Ricotta Pasta
• Garlic, Chilli and Prawn Tagliatelle
• Quick and Easy Tagliatelle
• Artichoke and Pancetta Pasta
• Garlic Prawn Linguine
• Tuna, Black Olive and Tomato Pasta
• Pesto Pasta with Feta and Green Olives

Get the cook books:

Tapenade Pasta

Harriet Young

July 3, 2024

A flavourful linguine dish with olives, capers, anchovies and sardines

5

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share by Email

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 400 g dried linguine
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 8 anchovy fillets
• 300 g jar of black olives
• 2 tbsps capers
• 240 g tinned sardines
• 1 small glass white wine
• A few drops of lemon juice to taste
• 1 large handful chopped parsley
• Grated parmesan to serve

Instructions

 

• Put the linguine on to cook according to the packet instructions.
• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the anchovies and allow to sizzle away. The anchovies will melt and break down very quickly – after a couple of minutes.
• Drain the jar of olives and chop them roughly, then add to the frying pan along with the capers and sardines. Break the sardine fillets up a little with your wooden spoon.
• Add the white wine and let it reduce down for 5 minutes.
• Add lemon juice (and black pepper) to taste. You shouldn’t need to add any extra salt.
• Turn the heat off and stir in the parsley.
• When the linguine is cooked, drain and add to the sauce. Mix together well. Serve topped with a generous pinch of parmesan.

Keyword anchovies, black olives, capers, pasta, sardines

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!