I love this very basic recipe. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s so full of flavor and little bursts of salty goodness. It’s just tomatoes + garlic + Kalamata olives + capers sautéed in olive oil until soft. It’s a thirty minute meal that’s simple to prepare and makes your kitchen smell like heaven. I got three out of the four kids to eat it, so I consider it family friendly too. A few tips: Kalamata olives and capers can both be found at your local grocery store. The Costco Kalamata olives are a great bargain if you have a large enough fridge to house them. I know it’s crazy busy school’s back in session, but this really only takes a few minutes, especially if you’ve got some grilled chicken just sitting in your freezer.
After you’ve got the basic recipe down, you can just throw in whatever garden veggie or farmer’s market vegetable looks the best. I absolutely loved the crunch of our garden green beans. We’ve used green and red pepper, and eggplant would be a great addition too. Autumn is trying very hard to push summer out here in Utah, but as long as my garden is producing green beans, I’m going to cook like it’s still summer.
1 16 ounce box bow tie pasta (If you need GF, the Barilla Gluten-Free Pasta is quite delicious!)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in halves or quarters
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, seeds removed and cut into quarters
2 tablespoons capers
1 cup garden green beans
2 large grilled chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Prepare the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is ready, pour out the water in a colander and return the pasta to the saucepan. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil and stir until the noodles are covered to prevent sticking.
While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet to medium and add the olive oil. Toss in the garlic and stir until the garlic becomes fragrant and just barely starts to brown, about one minute. Add the tomatoes and stir until the juices start releasing, about two minutes. Add the olives, capers, chicken and green beans and stir until the green beans are bright green and all the ingredients are heated through. Mix the vegetables with the pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- 1 16 ounce box bow tie pasta (If you need GF, the Barilla Gluten-Free Pasta is quite delicious!)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in halves or quarters
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives, seeds removed and cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1 cup garden green beans
- 2 large grilled chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Prepare the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is ready, pour out the water in a colander and return the pasta to the saucepan. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil and stir until the noodles are covered to prevent sticking.
- While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet to medium and add the olive oil. Toss in the garlic and stir until the garlic becomes fragrant and just barely starts to brown, about one minute. Add the tomatoes and stir until the juices start releasing, about two minutes. Add the olives, capers, chicken and green beans and stir until the green beans are bright green and all the ingredients are heated through. Mix the vegetables with the pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.