This my friends, is a pasta for the books: green olive linguine with broccolini & lemon breadcrumbs. It’s tangy, briny, smooth and herbaceous, and takes under 30 minutes to make. So in other words, pasta night heaven!
I just recently found a love for olives. They had always been on my very short list of ingredients I don’t enjoy (cilantro is definitely on there, too). Something possessed me to give them another try the other day, and somehow I am now hooked.
So naturally I had to make a recipe using the little nuggets right away. And so, this green olive linguine was born!
This pasta is irresistibly good, and honestly quite simple.
Green Olive Linguine Breakdown
- Broccolini blanched until bright and tender.
- Linguine cooked until al dente.
- A quick olive-oil based sauce made of garlic, green onions, pasta water, butter, and lemon juice.
- Olives, capers, and the broccolini folded in.
- Lemon-infused breadcrumbs and chives on top.
Let’s just say I couldn’t stop eating this for lunch, and if you like all things salty, silky, and lemony…you will love this.
Green Olive Linguine with Broccolini & Lemon Breadcrumbs
green olive linguine with an olive oil-based sauce, broccolini, and crispy lemon breadcrumbs
serves: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz broccolini, cleaned and trimmed
- 4 oz grainy bread, cubed
- neutral oil (safflower, vegetable, etc.)
- 1 lemon, zested
- kosher salt
- 1 lb linguine
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup pasta water
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 8 oz pitted green olives, halved
- 4 oz capers
- chopped fresh chives to garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccolini and blanch for 3 minutes, or until bright and tender. Transfer the broccolini out of the pot (reserve the water) and into a large bowl of ice water. Let cool in the water for a minute or two. Transfer the broccolini to a sheet pan lined with paper towels and let dry. Once dry, roughly chop the broccolini.
- Meanwhile, make the breadcrumbs by placing the bread into a food processor. Pulse until crumbs form. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add enough neutral oil to fully cover the bottom and come up the sides about ¼ of an inch. Once the oil is hot, add the breadcrumbs. Toast until golden brown. Quickly use a strainer to retrieve the breadcrumbs and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels. Immediately season with the lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Let cool.
- Bring the water in the pot back to a boil, add another pinch of salt, and drop in the linguine. Cook for 1 minute less than the package’s instructions, stirring often.
- Heat a separate large, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the green onions. Let sauté for a minute or two. Stir in the garlic. Add 1 cup of pasta water from the linguine pot. Let this come to a bubble and cook for a minute or two.
- Drain the linguine and immediately add it to the sauce. Add the butter and gently stir the linguine until the butter melts. Stir in the lemon juice next.
- Fold in the chopped broccolini, green olives, and capers. Let warm through.
- Serve the linguine with the breadcrumbs and fresh chives on top. Squeeze a bit more lemon juice and add a drizzle of olive oil to finish.
