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This Mediterranean inspired Prosciutto Pasta with Artichokes and Olives is bursting with fresh bold ingredients! This simple sauce is ready in just 30 minutes and is loaded with juicy cherry tomatoes, basil, kalamata and green olives, garlic, red bell peppers, and lots of crumbled feta cheese.
- Full of the Good Stuff! - Olive fans will love this pasta, it's packed with the good stuff! Salty briny flavors, prosciutto woven through each bite, and fresh greens make this satisfying dinner a stunning crowd pleaser!
- Any Time of Year! - This dish is perfect in the summer when you can use your garden cherry tomatoes and top it with extra fresh basil! But, with lots of pantry staples, Spaghetti Pasta with Olives is easy and hearty enough to make all winter too!
- Pasta Lovers, try my Creamy Farfalle Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas and this Sausage Orecchiette Pasta with Peppers and Spinach.
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Seriously loaded with healthy whole ingredients, this Prosciutto Spaghetti with Olives comes together quickly with a base of crushed tomato sauce.
- Onion, Bell Pepper, Garlic - The base layers of flavor, the onions are chopped to blend in while the peppers are sliced to stand out. The red bell pepper could be substituted with an orange or yellow pepper.
- Cherry Tomato - While the base of the sauce is a can of crushed tomatoes, the addition of cherry tomatoes gives you big pops of juicy contrast. You want to add them just before adding the canned tomatoes so they just simmer with the sauce. You don't want to saute them too early or they will cook down into mush. They should be left whole and just barely cooked through.
- Olives and Artichokes - The backbone of this dish, olives and artichokes give this dish its Italian Mediterranean flavor profile. Choosing the olives is really important! You want kalamata olives that come in a jar, not canned black olives. For the green, look for Castelvetrano Olives. They come in a jar and are bright green, not the dull green or stuffed olives for martinis. They are an Italian olive with meaty texture and bright delicious flavor. Make sure both kinds of olives are pitted! Olive fans, try my Marinated Olives with Feta and Cherry Tomatoes too!
- Prosciutto - A little protein and big flavor, this dish has pieces of the Italian dry-cured ham tossed into every bite!
- Fresh Spinach - A few big handfuls of fresh baby spinach wilt in as the sauce simmers, adding nice color, texture and nutrition!
- Crushed Tomatoes - The sauce comes together with a can of crushed tomatoes. It only needs to simmer about 10 minutes to marry the flavors together and keep the fresh ingredients big, bold and still fresh!
- Spaghetti - Spaghetti is the best for this dish, although linguine would work fine. You could do a short pasta like penne for a different variation. Cook it in boiling salted water, and don't forget to save some of that starchy cooking water to thin the sauce!
- Feta Cheese - The creamy big crumbles of feta cheese give this pasta a Mediterranean feel, and contrast well with the briny salty flavors. However, half my family loved this dish with grated Parmesan cheese instead. Both cheeses work well!
- Fresh Basil - If you have fresh basil, it's a delicious finish to the dish!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
The sauce can be ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta, coming together in just 30 minutes!
Step 1 - Boil the spaghetti in salted water until al dente. Before draining, pull out about 2 cups of the starchy pasta cooking water.
Reserve it in a glass measuring cup, it will be used for the sauce.
Step 2 - Chop your vegetables and prosciutto.
The olives and artichokes should be drained, or pulled out of the jar with a fork.
Leave the cherry tomatoes whole.
Step 3 - Saute the onions and bell pepper.
Step 4 - Add the cherry tomatoes, garlic, olives, artichokes and prosciutto.
Give everything a good stir for about a minute until the garlic is fragrant.
Step 5 - Add the spinach and crushed tomato, along with 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water.
Step 6 - Simmer the sauce about 10 minutes. Stir often to get the spinach wilted in.
Step 7 - Add the drained spaghetti to the sauce and toss well with tongs.
Step 8 - Serve topped with crumbled feta cheese and fresh basil.
Recipe Notes & Helpful Tips
- Don't Overcook the Sauce - This isn't the kind of sauce that you want to let simmer all afternoon. That's because you want the fresh ingredients to be cooked but not overcooked and remain fresh and bright. That's the cherry tomatoes, the olives, and the artichokes! You want them to still be vibrant and juicy, not overcooked and wilted. This entire dish is ready in just 30 minutes!
- Use a Large Enough Skillet - You want a big enough skillet to be able to toss the spaghetti with the sauce. You can use a Dutch oven or even a soup pot if you don't have a big enough skillet.
- Reserve the Pasta Water - An essential tip to pasta sauce making! Get in the habit of pulling out some of the starchy pasta water before you drain the pasta to adjust and thin the sauce. Use a measuring cup, a ladle or a coffee mug to pull some out. About 1 cup can be added with the crushed tomatoes to help everything come together. You may decide to add a little more when tossing with the pasta.
- What to Serve it With - Spaghetti with Olives is delicious with some crusty bread and a big salad! Try a baguette or my Overnight Dutch Oven Bread. This Italian Mixed Greens Salad or my Prosciutto Parmesan Salad are perfect Mediterranean compliments to this pasta.
- Storage and Freezing - This prosciutto spaghetti can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop. If your leftovers run out of "stuff" in the sauce, you can pop in a few more olives before reheating since they don't really need to be cooked. Serve leftovers with lots of cheese!
Recipe FAQs
I've always found that the most affordable and best quality prosciutto is from the deli counter. Lots of stores carry it, and ask them to slice it super thin and not put paper between each slice (no need to pay for the weight of more paper!). Prosciutto is expensive per pound, but it doesn't weigh very much. The deli counter is almost always much cheaper per ounce than the little packages that don't have much prosciutto in them at all! Plus you can get the exact amount you need!
Feta or Parmesan, it's totally up to you! If using feta, I like to buy a block of feta that comes in a tub of brine. Then crumble it yourself, it's the best flavor! For Parmesan, buy a block and grate it yourself! It lasts much longer than anything pre-shredded, and is often a better price.
The right olives make all the difference! I used to hate olives, but that's because there are the good olives and the bad olives and I didn't know the difference! Kalamata olives are the good olives! Buy them in a jar, I've tried lots of different brands and they are all good. Canned black olives, like the kind on frozen pizza, are terrible and should not be used in this dish! Green olives are the same, good ones and bad ones. Always get a jar, not a can, and look for Castelvetrano Olives. These are the bright green ones, not dull green. Make sure they're pitted. You could also buy olives at the olive bar at a grocery store, again look for bright green and the purple black kalamata olives.
More Favorite Pastas!
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Prosciutto Pasta with Artichokes and Olives
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes left whole
- 6 to 8 slices prosciutto chopped
- ½ cup artichokes
- ½ cup kalamata olives
- ½ cup green Castelvetrano Olives
- 1 large can crushed tomato
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- ½ cup Feta cheese (or Parmesan)
Instructions
- Set a large pot of water to boil and cook the spaghetti about 10 minutes until al dente. Before draining, scoop out and reserve 2 cups of the starchy pasta water. Use a ladle, measuring cup or coffee mug!
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and saute the onion and red bell pepper, about 7 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and oregano.
- Add the garlic, cherry tomatoes, prosciutto, olives, and artichokes and stir a minute until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomato, spinach, and 1 cup of the starchy pasta water. Simmer about 10 minutes, stirring often to wilt in the spinach. Lower the heat as needed to keep it at a gentle bubble.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce and use tongs to toss well. Add some more of the starchy cooking water if needed to thin the sauce.
- Serve with fresh basil and feta cheese crumbles.
Notes
- Starchy Cooking Water - The water that the pasta boils in can be pulled out and reserved to use in making the sauce. If you forget to reserve it before draining, just use 1 cup of regular water to add to the sauce.
- Olives - Be sure to buy Kalamata Olives (black) and Castelvetrano Olives (bright green). Make sure they are pitted and come in a jar, not a can.
- Feta or Parmesan - A personal preference, this dish is delicious with either feta or Parmesan cheese.
Ann says
Made this last night for dinner. Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out fine. We thought it was delicious, and since there were only two of us, we have at least two more meals! Might make half next time.
Meryl says
My family loves this pasta, so many fresh and healthy colorful ingredients!