Angel Hair with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives is a light yet really flavorful dish that celebrates simple ingredients and of course, pasta! With lemon, tangy olives, and lots of herbs, this dish is sure to become a favorite.
What’s Great about this dish
Angel hair pasta is one of my go-to’s, as there’s just something about a long pasta that’s slurpy and twirlable. Plus, it’s a quick option as well! This Angel Hair Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives is surprisingly quick and simple, and tastes like a special meal. It uses some super flavorful ingredients to make the dish really shine. It’s also versatile too – you can swap out the broccoli for a different vegetable you may have on hand.
And with bright flavors of lemon and fresh herbs, it is reminiscent of spring and summer vibes. Just what the doctor ordered in the middle of winter here! But regardless of the weather, this one’s a really simple and tasty dish that comes together in a snap, which makes it a great option for weeknights as well. It also makes a great meal prep or leftovers, as the broccoli holds up well in the fridge. Just add the fresh herbs on the day you’re going to eat it.
How This Dish Comes Together: Angel Hair with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives
This pasta is super simple, which is usually how I roll for the majority of meals. And this one’s no exception! The main parts of this dish are the broccoli, the pasta and all the add-ins.
Boiling and steaming: you’ll start by preparing the pasta of your choice, and steaming the broccoli. This can be done simultaneously.
Cooking the onions and toasting the pine nuts: preheat a large pan and a small saucepan/skillet while you finely chop the onion. Then cook the onion with some oil for 5 minutes until softened in the large skillet, and while that’s cooking, toast the pine nuts in the smaller pan (no oil in this one). The pine nuts will toast in around 1 minute, since the pan has been preheating. Stir them every 10 to 20 seconds then set them aside to cool while you chop the garlic.
Putting it together: Add the garlic to the onions, stir and after one minute, add the broth. Let it gently simmer (it’s fine if some liquid evaporates) while you chop the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and parsley. Add those in, along with the broccoli, remaining ingredients (except pine nuts), and the cooked/drained angel hair.
Substitutions and Tips for Making this Dish
This dish is really fast to make, with some smart multi-tasking. Have your pots and pans ready to go on the stove, and your ingredients handy and washed. This will make it easy to cook both the pasta and broccoli at the same time, while toasting the pine nuts and cooking the onions!
I like capers in this dish to add some extra zing to go along with the lemon, but feel free to omit them if they’re not your cup of tea. The dish will still be delicious.
Kalamata olives work great in here, but you can use other types of olives.
Other Delicious Pasta Recipes
Creamy Lemon and Paprika Pasta
Ratatouille Pasta with Vegan Sausage
Vegan Cheesy Pasta with Broccoli & Herbs
I hope you try this simple and delicious angel hair dish! If you make it, I’d love to know what you think in the comments here or tag me on Instagram @janetsmunchmeals!
Angel Hair with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 servings pasta
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 heaping tbsp pine nuts toasted
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves minced (can sub around 1/2 to 3/4 tsp garlic granules, to taste)
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 2 cups broccoli florets cut small
- Juice of 1 to 1.5 lemons to taste
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ to ¾ tsp kosher salt to taste
- ½ tsp pepper
- red chili flakes optional
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives coarsely chopped
- 2 to 3 tbsp capers to taste
- 15 sun-dried tomatoes marinated type, drained and finely chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- ½ tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Steam the broccoli until tender, but still bright green. Meanwhile, preheat a large pan over medium heat while you finely chop the onion. Add onion to pan with the oil, and cook.
- Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan. You can use a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat, tossing until they start to get a light golden brown. Set aside.
- When the onions get translucent and softened, around 5 min, add the garlic and cook another min. Add the vegetable broth and allow it to gently bubble as the onions continue to cook for a 3 minutes while you chop the olives, sun-dried tomatoes and parsley. Some liquid may evaporate.
- Lastly, add all the remaining ingredients other than the toasted pine nuts to the pan, including the steamed broccoli florets) and gently cook together for a few minutes (start with juice of 1 lemon and add more if desired).
- Serve and top with pine nuts.