Mediterranean Linguini

Fresh Pasta Tossed in a Light Tomato-Olive Sauce with Zucchini & Feta

"Life is too short and I'm Italian. I'd much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size zero."

Sophia Bush

I don't know who Sophia Bush is (I looked her up, too, and I still don't know. She's from a show called One Tree Hill? Never heard of it.) but I like how she thinks. I feel the same way. Not that I think gorging on carbs is a good thing necessarily, but I went 'off' pasta, bread, and rice for a while and it was a joyless existence. You can come up with lots of wonderful, flavourful alternatives but once in a while I just want a big, gooey plate of carby pasta and a chunk of crusty french bread slathered in butter on the side. Ugh, heaven. 

This pasta is actually fairly light, as far as pasta dishes go. I had it with Betty's Peach Iced Tea with Vodka because I've been fiending for it and they've been sold out at all the liquor stores near my place for weeks now. A nice white wine, or a fruity red, would go great with this dish. We had our pasta with some barbecued jalapeno sausages and it was delicious - although I ate until I couldn't stomach even one more olive. Still, the sauce was fairly healthy...

That's my justification and I'm sticking to it. 

You will need...

1 package (300g) fresh linguine, cooked al dente

1 small sweet onion, chopped

4 tbs olive oil

4 tbs chicken or vegetable stock

1 tbs dried oregano

1 tbs sea salt

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 large tin diced tomatoes, reduced sodium if possible

1 small zucchini, thinly sliced into rounds

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese, thickly crumbled or chopped

1 large handful basil, sliced (approx. only, you really can't have too much basil)

Parmesan petals for garnish

Black pepper, to taste

Cook the fresh pasta according to package instructions, making sure not to overcook as the heat from the sauce will continue to soften it. 

Meanwhile, in a large pan heat the olive oil over medium temperature. Add the onion, garlic,  cherry tomatoes, and zucchini rounds. Saute lightly until onions are tender and zucchini is brightly coloured and slightly soft. Add the salt and oregano. 

To the pan, add the diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Stir well and simmer over low-medium heat until sauce begins to thicken. This should take about five-ten minutes. 

Add cooked pasta, fresh basil, feta, olives, and black pepper to the pan. Remove from heat and toss to combine. Top with parmesan petals and more basil or olives to garnish. Serve hot on it's own, or with grilled chicken or barbecued sausage. 

Comfortably serves about 3-4 people.