Spaghetti with Peppers, Olives & Tomatoes

Tuesday 10 April 2018


This  is a beautiful supper dish with lovely fresh flavours and colours.  I love recipes like this.  Its simple, easy and uses things I normally have in my kitchen  . . .


Fresh bell peppers . . . I used golden yellow peppers.  I like to peel the skin from them as I am not overly fond of cooked pepper skins, which can oftimes be somewhat bitter.  They are not that hard to peel.  I have a soft skin vegetable peeler which makes it very easy. 


They are really great for peeling things like pepper and tomatoes. I like to pick peppers with straight sides for this dish.  They cut and peel much easier than overly rounded ones.


As well as the peppers there is a large red onion, cut into half moons. The peppers and onions are cooked in a skillet together, until the edges begin to caramelize, at which time you add  garlic and a bit of dry white wine. (I used water with a pinch of sugar as we don't do alcohol)  You let this bubble up while you scrape up any sticky bits in the skillet.




Next you add some chopped black olives and capers.  Black olives and capers go very well with all of the other ingredients . . . both are kind of salty and the capers are a bit tangy as well . . .


Of course your pasta is cooking while you are doing all of this right?  A scoop of the pasta water is added to the sauce along with some cherry tomatoes . . . and flat leaf parsley . . .


both of which are only briefly cooked . . .  so that when you are eating the finished dish those cherry tomatoes pop in your mouth with a beautiful burst of flavour!  Yum!


There is a temptation to use more parsley than you need to . . .  don't.  Trust me on this. None of the flavours in the dish should overpower any of the other flavours. Flat leaf parsley can sometimes be really strong in flavour, so taste it and then judge accordingly.


I only use whole wheat pasta these days.  I really like it.  It has a subtle nutty flavour and really doesn't look all that different than regular pasta.  But, if whole wheat pasta doesn't float your boat, then use regular pasta, no problemo.


Altogether this is a really delicious dish.  I would recommend serving it with some crusty bread if you aren't watching the carbs, and maybe some soft goats cheese on the side.  Yum yum!!


*Spaghetti with Peppers, Olives & Tomatoes*
Serves 4


I like to peel the peppers for this recipe. It might seem a bit fiddly, but its worth it to not have unpleasant bits of pepper skins rolling around in your mouth. If you use flat sides peppers, this is easy to do with one of those new peelers which are built specifically for peeling soft skinned vegetables.  This really is delicious.  Vegetarian and Vegan. 

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
340g dry spaghetti (3/4 pound, I like whole wheat)
2 TBS olive oil
4 to 5 yellow peppers, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips
1 large red onion, peeled, halved and sliced into thin half moons
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
120ml dry white wine (1/2 cup)
85g of chopped black olives (1/2 cup)
(I like the dry cured ones)
3 TBS baby capers, rinsed and patted dry
15g flat leaf parsley, chopped (2/3 cup)
300g cherry tomatoes (2 cups)




Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to the package directions.


Cook the sauce while the pasta is cooking. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet. Add the peppers and onions. Cook over high heat, tossing them with a wooden spoon to sear the edges, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the wine, allowing it to bubble up, scraping up any pan juices. Lower the heat to medium ad add the olives, capers, half of the parsley and a bit of water from the cooking pasta.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cherry tomatoes and simmer for a minute, then turn off the heat and set aside. 


Drain the pasta, then toss with a bit of olive oil. Divide amongst 4 heated serving bowls.  Spoon some of the pepper mixture over heat.  Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve.



I am loving this new emphasis I am making  in my diet on plant based foods.  Todd's not so sure, lol, but you shouldn't be surprised.  He's a WW2 baby and he likes his meat.  Its okay, I made him a cottage pie which he enjoyed very much.  We were both happy.  Its okay, he knows I won't always be doing this for him. Bon Appetit! 



6 comments

  1. My kind of pasta dish! I love peppers..onions..all great:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it was really good Monique! Healthy too! xo

      Delete
  2. I do this recipe a lot during the summer. Called Pasta Prima Vera, it uses a variety of summer garden vegetables -- but not the garlic! It makes for a lovely alfresco supper, along with a light white wine such as Rhine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a lot simpler than Pasta Primavera, with fewer veg and no cream or cheese, which makes it vegan friendly, and great for anyone who can’t tolerate dairy. I do love a good Pasta Primavera however. You are right, it makes a great summer supper, especially when we have an abundance of tasty summer veg! Xo

      Delete
  3. I made this for last night's dinner. Instead of peeling and frying the bell peppers, I roasted them whole in the oven, put them in a plastic bag for a bit, then the blackened peel came away really easily and I tore them into strips. I love the flavour of peppers done like this. I added them to the onions along with the olives, capers and parsley. Because I'm naughty, I sprinkled on grated parmesan as well :)

    It was a lovely, fresh, fragrant and tasty meal. Perfect food for spring and summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love your handling of the peppers Marie! Great idea! I adore roasted peppers. I am so pleased that you are trying some of these older recipes, enjoying them and then taking the time to leave your feedback. Like you I am a naughty pup and love to add cheese. I have so many recipes on here and a lot get overlooked. Thank YOU for not overlooking and for trying these gems out! I truly do appreciate it! xoxo

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you so do not be shy!


BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT OR RATING, ASK YOURSELF:
Did you make the recipe as directed? Recipe results are not guaranteed when changes have been made.

Is this comment helpful to other readers? Rude or hateful comments will not be approved. Remember that this website is run by a real person.

Are you here to complain about ads? Please keep in mind that I develop these recipes and provide them to you for free. Advertising helps to defray my cost of doing so, and allows me to continue to post regular fresh content.

Thanks so much for your understanding! I appreciate you!