Linguine Wrapped in Warm Olives & Tomato Pesto

Tomato Pesto With Olives, Instead of Olive Oil? Why Not

Most pestos depend on 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil in order to keep the sauce fragrant and emulsified. Olives & Tomato Pesto does not. The tomatoes are a great emulsifying agent on their own and fresh olives bring the same flavors as olive oil, while cutting down on the fat.

I love pestos with tons of olive oil. After all the fats from olive oil are considered good fats. But my health-conscious husband refuses to eat home-made food with 1/4 cup oil in it, whether it’s good or bad fat. This dish is my answer to him.

It’s deliciously satisfying on its own terms, and importantly provides an option for all of you who love pestos but want to cut down on the fats.

There’s my Linguine in Tomato Pesto that contains 1/4 cup oil (https://veggiemashups.com/tomato-basil-pesto/ ). Then there’s my Linguine in Olives & Tomato Pesto with none to little oil (see recipe below). Yet, the two sauces taste remarkably similar–they’re both fragrant, classy and mouth-watering.

Pesto without olive oil? It works. You have to try it to believe it!

Fun Olive Facts

1. Olives are fruits, not vegetables
2. Each olive contains 20 percent fats, whereas olive oil is 100 percent fat. Thus, it takes 11 pounds of pressed olives to obtain one quart extra virgin olive oil.
3. Olive trees can live upto 2000 years, though the average is a mere 300-600 years. In fact, one of the oldest olive trees in the world is on the island of Crete and is still producing fruit after 4,000 years.
4. The olive branch is often seen as a symbol of peace or victory.

Still Curious About Olives?

1. Check out https://aghires.com/20-olive-facts/
2. For a more involved history, click https://olivegevity.com/olive-trivia-42-interesting-facts/

Linguine in Olives & Tomato Pesto

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• Author: priya’s mashups
• Prep Time: 5 mins.
• Cook Time: 15
• Total Time: 20
• Yield: 6 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

A quick 15 min. pasta sauce that replaces the olive oil in traditional pesto with actual olives.  You get to cut down on the fat content, without compromising on taste.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For Making Pesto:

1 heirloom tomato, roughly diced or 1 beefsteak tomato (the chopped tomatos should be approx. 1 cup)

10 green olives (I use castalvetrano), cored if necessary and roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil (optional)

1 packed cup fresh basil

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. sugar

Salt to taste (1/4-1/2 tsp.)

1/8–1/4 cup water

For Making Pasta

8 oz. linguine

1/4 tbsp. salt (for seasoning pasta water)

For Garnish:

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional, especially for kids)

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Instructions

For Making Pesto:

1. Blend the following ingredients in a blender or food processor to a smooth puree: 1 heirloom tomato +  2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped + 1 cup freshly packed basil + 10 chopped olives + 1/4 tsp. salt + 1/2 tsp. pepper.  The blended pesto should be somewhat runny/watery from the liquid in the tomato.  If unable to process smoothly, add 1/8-1/4 cup water to blender/processor to loosen up the pesto.

2. Tranfer the pesto into a deep-bottomed pan and cook on med. heat for 10 mins.  

3. Turn off the heat and add 1/2 tsp. sugar.  The sugar will balance out the brinyness of the olives.

4. Optional: Add 1 tbsp. olive oil on top for the wonderful aroma.  Omit if you are avoiding all fats.

For Pairing Pesto With Pasta:

1. Boil water in a kettle.  Transfer to a pan and season with 1/4 tbsp. salt.

2. Toss the linguine in and cook as per the package instructions.

3. Drain pasta and reserve 1/4-1/2 cup pasta water.

4. 2 mins. before pasta is done, heat the pesto in the pan on low heat.

5. Toss the pasta into the pesto as soon as it is done, turn the heat upto med. or med.-high, add 1/4 cup pasta water and cook for 2 mins.

6. Taste and adjust for seasoning.  If it’s still a little briny, do not be afraid to add a few more pinches of sugar to even it out.

For Garnish:

1. If you like heat, sprinkle 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes on top of pasta and serve!

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Notes

1. I like this pasta without cheese, but if you’re a cheese person, garnish with 1/8 cup grated parmesan.

• Category: Lunch
• Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 210
• Sugar: 1.1
• Sodium: 508
• Fat: 11.3
• Saturated Fat: 1.1
• Carbohydrates: 22.4
• Fiber: 0.5
• Protein: 4.7
• Cholesterol: 28

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