Mediterranean Pasta

Updated on 11/19/2024

By Martin Alvarez

Nutritionist/Dietitian Professional Guide

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Table of content:

1 - Pasta With A Quick And Healthy Mediterranean Flavor – Were Fast And Fresh Meet
2 - Mediterranean Pasta Recipe Variations
3 - What Kinds of Sauces Go Well with Pasta from the Mediterranean
4 - Mediterranean Pasta

This light and flavorful Mediterranean Pasta dish is the easygoing social butterfly of the swarm of supper recipe contenders. So easy! How stylish! This dish for angel hair pasta, fresh lemon, and traditional Mediterranean ingredients like tomato, Parmesan, and artichoke can stand on its own as a dinner in and of itself. It is light and easygoing and mixes well with other typical Mediterranean foods.

I give a lot of weight to recipes that blend fresh ingredients with cupboard staples to whip up quick and healthful dinners. Because I use fresh and pantry ingredients to prepare supper, I only need to grocery shop for one or two items. Cooking and purchasing in this manner may frequently save me money, and the fact that most goods in a pantry can be prepared quickly and easily means that I can also set the table for supper more quickly.

This nutritious Mediterranean pasta is the ideal example and is similar to Garlic Pasta.

Pasta With A Quick And Healthy Mediterranean Flavor – Were Fast And Fresh Meet

Healthy Mediterranean Pasta—Fast Meets Fresh

The Ingredients

Pasta is made from whole wheat. Whole wheat pasta is more beneficial to your health than conventional pasta since it contains more fiber, protein, and minerals. Because it has a subtle taste, no one will be able to tell that you've substituted something healthier. In my pantry, there is often always a package or two available for purchase.

There is no one variety of pasta that is superior to another in terms of health benefits, provided that it is made entirely from whole grains. I prefer having a few different shapes on hand to cook nutritious pasta dishes. Two of my go-to recipes for long-style noodles like spaghetti and fettuccini are the Garlic Shrimp Pasta, Chicken Feta Pasta, and Kale Pasta. Both of these dishes use feta cheese and chicken. Pasta dishes like Caprese Chicken Pasta and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta benefit from using shorter healthy noodles. (If you need more ideas, look at the list of nutritious pasta dishes I've compiled.)

Artichokes are preserved in a can. A simple and fast method for supplementing any dish with a colorful and flavorful portion of vegetables. How about fresh, whole, and steamed artichokes on a weeknight? No. What about cracking up a can of artichoke hearts and throwing them in with some fast pasta? Yes!
Olives Preserved in Cans The savory and savory-like punch. They are packed with taste while adding a few more dollars to your total food spend.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. You won't be able to make a wonderful sauce without the whole quantity, so don't scrimp on it. Although the olive oil will add additional fat to the dish, it is a healthy fat that helps make this pasta dish better for your heart.

Following that, let's talk about the components of Team FRESH. They are a traditional combination in the Mediterranean that breathes new life into the pasta.

Tomatoes in the Cherry Size. Juicy, sugary, and delectable throughout the whole year.
Garlic, chopped up. Even though I occasionally use garlic powder as a substitute, fresh garlic is essential to the flavor of this nutritious pasta dish. Do you despise having to cut garlic? (I do!) Consider using a garlic press similar to this one.
Lemon Juice That Has Been Freshly Squeezed There is a ban on bottled fruit juice. Trust me! You are going to need the genuine article here.
Parmesan cheese, grated Use the genuine article, just as with the lemon juice (not the green can). Because there are so few, each component of this pasta is of the utmost significance.

The fact that a recipe does not have to be laborious, time-consuming, or sophisticated to produce a dish that is delectable and unique in flavor may be shown by the Mediterranean pasta.

Mediterranean Pasta Recipe Variations

When prepared without adding meat, I discovered that this Mediterranean Spaghetti provided me with more than enough satisfaction due to the inclusion of sturdy artichokes and nutritious grains in the pasta strands.

To Make Vegan. You are free to do without the Parmesan cheese.
Shrimp Pasta with a Mediterranean Flavor. To avoid the shrimp being overcooked, I would recommend cooking them in a separate pan or on the grill and adding them to the pasta dish at the end. (Or give these shrimp from the Mediterranean a go.)
Pasta with tuna that is canned in the Mediterranean style. For an added source of protein and lipids that are good for the heart. (The oil-packed kind has the most refined taste, in my opinion.)
Chicken and pasta dish with a Mediterranean flavor. Try combining this Mediterranean Pasta recipe with my fast and straightforward way How Cook Shredded Chicken (stovetop), Baked Chicken Breast, or this Instant Pot Chicken if you are looking for recipes that use shredded chicken in the pasta. After shredding or dicing the chicken, you may add it to the pasta as a last step in the recipe.
Pasta with sausage from Italy and the Mediterranean. After the Italian chicken sausages have been precooked, slice them into coins and brown them in a frying pan. Take them out of the pan, continue with the recipe as written, and stir the coins into the cooked pasta before serving.
Pasta with Feta and Mediterranean Flavors. Substitute feta cheese for the parmesan cheese; this was another tasty method to serve the food left over after dinner.

What Kinds of Sauces Go Well with Pasta from the Mediterranean

What to Serve with Mediterranean Pasta

Salad. A simple green salad, such as this Arugula Salad or this Spinach Strawberry Salad, is an excellent accompaniment to this pasta. Try your hand at making this Caesar Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad for something a little more substantial.
Vegetables. This recipe is delicious when served with roasted vegetables, such as the Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Asparagus, or Oven Roasted Carrots we have provided.
Appetizers native to Italy To go along with the pasta, we recommend beginning the dinner with a delectable appetizer such as these Mozzarella Sticks.

And what should we expect next? I have a lengthy video cooking tutorial to watch that will show you how quick and straightforward it is to prepare this pasta dish from the Mediterranean.

Mediterranean Pasta

Pasta dish from the Mediterranean region, with tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic, and lemon juice. A nutritious pasta dish that can be prepared quickly is simple to create and bursts with flavor! You may make the plate using chicken or shrimp, or you can keep it vegetarian. A complete and balanced dinner in one dish.

Ingredients

One tablespoon kosher salt + 1 teaspoon, divided
6 ounces of angel hair pasta made with whole wheat spaghetti made with whole wheat or other whole wheat noodles of a similar style (I recommend DeLallo whole wheat pasta)
Four individual garlic cloves
2 cups of cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
One can of artichoke hearts that have been quartered (14 ounces)
One can of black olives, whole and pitted (6 ounces)
Three tablespoons of olive oil, preferably of high quality
1/2 milligram of black pepper in ground form
a quarter to a half of a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, roughly one lemon
Parmesan cheese that has been freshly grated and one-fourth of a cup
1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped Italian style

Instructions

Put one tablespoon of salt into the water that is already boiling in a big saucepan. Ensure the pasta is cooked until it reaches the "al dente" stage before serving. After reserving a half cup of water from the spaghetti, drain the pasta.
While the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, you may prepare the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients as follows: mince the garlic; cut the cherry tomatoes in half; drain the artichokes and roughly chop them; drain the olives and cut them in half. Once you start cooking the veggies, the rest of the dish will go quite rapidly, so you need to be ready.
In a large pan set over medium-high heat, bring the olive oil to a warm temperature. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and the remaining one teaspoon of salt to the bowl, along with the pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. As the mixture cooks, stir it regularly until the garlic takes on a fragrant flavor and the tomatoes begin to break down and release some of their juices into the oil, which takes about one to two minutes.
Using a tossing motion, put the pasta in the pan and toss it around until it is coated. Include the artichoke hearts and olives in the dish. The lemon juice should be drizzled over the spaghetti. Keep turning everything over and cook it for another minute or two until it is boiling. If the pasta lacks moisture, you may add some of the water that was kept for the pasta to help loosen it up. Try it out, and then season it with salt & pepper to taste. Take the dish off the heat and top it with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. Toss one more time, and then dig in.

Notes

It's been suggested by the recipe's creator, Mary, that you don't scrimp on the olive oil or the parsley. Both are essential to have a flavorful result with the food.
To prevent the pasta from drying out while it is being reheated, warm it on low heat in the microwave or on the stovetop with a drop of water.
The leftovers may be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days, or they can be frozen for up to one month.