(Ok, so I took this pic before I put the crumbled feta on top, but you get the idea.)
This pasta dish is simple, healthy (I’ve linked the delicious, high-fiber pasta I use to crank it up even more), fast, and a huge family pleaser. And you can customize it to fit your preferences, easy-peasy.
This recipe is a riff on a dish I ordered about 1000 years ago in an Austin eatery called Mars; I have no idea if it’s still on their menu, or if they’re still in that cute little renovated craftsman house, but I remember it well. I have changed up how I make it 1000 times, often depending on what I’ve got in the fridge, honestly, or on who is eating it with me.
You’ll need:
A box of dry pasta (I like this high-fiber one)
A container of cherry or grape tomatoes
A container of crumbled feta cheese
A small box of fresh spinach, cut into ribbons (chiffonade, if you’re fancy)
A big bunch of fresh basil, also cut into ribbons (honestly, if you don’t have fresh basil, you could get by with a tub of ready-made pesto, but the texture would be different)
A jar of kalamata olives, drained
Extra virgin olive oil for topping at the end – drizzle as needed to prevent the pasta from being dry
Method:
Cook the pasta according to directions.
While the pasta is cooking, slice your tomatoes in half. (Here’s where you get to make the big decisions – the original dish left them raw, which I do when my tomatoes are in season and super flavorful. When I made this last, I had store-bought grape tomatoes, so I cooked them until they started to blister and pop, with some garlic. Your call!)
Chiffonade the spinach and basil.
Drain the olives.
When the pasta is done cooking and you’ve drained it, toss in the spinach and the greens and fold until they’re slightly wilted. Add your tomatoes and olives. Drizzle in olive oil until you’ve coated the pasta, but not soaked it – it shouldn’t be drippy.
Plate it (these pasta bowls pictured above are SO CUTE), and top with feta. Parent tip: I serve my feta in a separate bowl at the table, because not everyone likes it as much as I do. You can offer shredded parmesan as an alternative, but the feta is just so perfect here.
If your crew is carnivore heavy, add some rotisserie chicken, or something. The whole point it to keep it simple and get you out of the kitchen with the minimum of fuss, so don’t get fancy.
*As always, I, a genuine human being, write these posts, not AI. The links are indeed affiliate links, so if you shop with me, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to the shopper. Thanks for your support!