Tapenade pasta makes for a quick and really delicious meal, with black olives, capers, anchovies and sardines.
This pasta 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.
Why This Tapenade Pasta Works
Tapenade pasta has everything you want from a weeknight dinner: bold flavours, minimal ingredients and very little effort! The anchovies melt into the olive oil, the capers and olives give salt and bite and the sardines make it filling enough for a delicious dinner. It’s simple, punchy and done in 20 minutes flat.
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 for Success
- Don’t add salt until you’ve tasted it — the anchovies, capers, and olives provide plenty.
- If you’re using tinned sardines, check for any large bones as you stir the sauce.
- Use a wooden spoon to break the sardines into small flakes — it helps them meld into the sauce.
- Reserve a little pasta water to loosen the sauce when combining everything at the end.
FAQs
You can, but black olives give a richer, more traditional tapenade flavour.
Absolutely — just use an equal splash of stock or water with a squeeze of lemon.
It’s naturally salty from the olives, capers, and anchovies, so taste before seasoning — you might not need any extra salt at all.
Tapenade Pasta – 20 Min Dinner With Olives, Capers and Sardines
Ingredients
- 400 grams linguine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 anchovy fillets
- 300 grams black olives
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 240 grams sardines tinned
- 150 ml white wine
- A few drops of lemon juice to taste
- 10 grams parsley chopped
- 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.
Notes
Variations & Add-Ins
- Make it spicy: Add a pinch of chilli flakes with the anchovies.
- Go veggie: Swap the sardines for sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers.
- Try a different pasta: Spaghetti, tagliatelle or penne all work well.
- Add crunch: Top with toasted breadcrumbs or pine nuts.
- Boost the freshness: Finish with grated lemon zest or a handful of rocket before serving.
Storage & Make-Ahead
- Make-ahead: The tapenade sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead and stored in the fridge. Just reheat gently and toss with fresh pasta.
- Fridge: Leftovers keep for up to 2 days — it’s great cold for lunch too.
- Freezer: Not ideal (the sardines and olives don’t freeze well), but you can freeze the base sauce before adding sardines if you like.
Loved this tapenade style pasta. It was so flavorful!
Drooling over this pasta. So delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
I adore olives. This pasta was perfect!!!
We loved the big bold flavors of this pasta dish!
This Tapenade Pasta recipe is amazing! It’s full of flavor and so easy to prepare. A great option for a quick and delicious meal. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
This honestly looks fabulous- I love pasta dishes, and I like this twist on a linguine! Can’t wait to try this out thanks for the lovely recipe!
Very nice posst