Penne Pasta with Tomatoes, Olives, and Artichokes

I love this dish’s freshness and the ingredients’ natural flavor as you may have noticed, salt and pepper are not on the ingredients list.

The olives and capers add so much flavor to this dish that adding seasonings such as salt and pepper would be excessive.

What is “al dente”?

Al dente pasta or to the bite is when you remove it from the boiling water a minute or two before it is fully cooked.

This will allow you to cook them a minute longer with the sauce without them becoming too mushy and unpalatable.

Step by step on how to make this delicious penne pasta

With all my recipes, please assemble all the ingredients before starting cooking and baking. This dish is separated into two steps, which are prepared simultaneously: Cooking the pasta and preparing the sauce.

Start by

• Bringing a large pot of salted water to a full boil and cook to al dente according to package instructions.

Meanwhile

• You will have to add your pasta to a large saucepan, so make sure you have plenty of room to mix well and combine the tomato, olives, parsley, capers, and artichokes. Simmer gently while the pasta cooks. If it drys out, add some of the pasta cooking water.

Assembling your penne pasta with tomato

• Drain your pasta as soon as it reaches as dente and add it to the tomato sauce.

• Mix the pasta with the sauce and let it rest covered for at least two minutes. Make sure there is no heat source underneath.

• Gently stir again, transfer to pasta bowls, and sprinkle generously with freshly grated Parmigiano cheese.

What dishes can you enjoy with this penne pasta recipe?

• This penne pasta with tomato is the perfect stand-alone dish, followed by a light carrot salad, fresh strawberries and wine as the final touch to your dinner.

• For the perfect Italian dinner, start with this penne pasta as a “primo piatto” and enjoy chicken marsala as a second course, finishing it with affogato al caffe.

• Another great combination, which we love at our house, is alongside individual meatloaf.

Enjoy it as a side to any seafood dish you may fancy. The possibilities are endless, and I hope you will try one of the above dinner combinations.

Variations and Substitutions

• Since this pasta dish has few ingredients, the only substitution I have made is to replace the fresh parsley with fresh basil. However, do add it to the tomato sauce at the last minute so it does not overpower the sauce.

• Rigatoni or ziti can replace the penne pasta. You want a tubular pasta so the tomato sauce can penetrate and give you this fantastic burst of flavor when you bite into it.

• If you already have tomato sauce made, you can use it with this recipe. Beware that the flavor will differ.

• The Castelvetrano green olives can be substituted with brine-cured black olives, still pitted and sliced.

• Parmigiano Reggiano can be substituted with mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces, and dropped over individual plates at serving time.

• To add a kick, add some red pepper flakes at serving time.

Storing and Reheating

Store: Once your penne pasta with tomatoes is completely cooled off, place it in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Reheat: Bring back to room temperature and place in a skillet over medium heat, you may want to add a couple of tablespoons of water so your sauce will not dry out. Gently cook until heated through.

Freeze: You can freeze this pasta dish for up to two months. Store it in an airtight freezer bag or container. Defrost it in the refrigerator and reheat it following the above instructions.