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15 Minute Greek Pasta

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4.9 from 16 reviews

This Greek Pasta is filled with equal parts al dente noodles and Mediterranean veggies - tossed in a creamy, light, feta and herb sauce. It takes just over 15 minutes from start to finish and is a hearty vegetarian dinner that is perfect for Meatless Monday or any family dinner!

Ingredients

Units Scale
    • 16 oz.pasta, cooked until al dente (save 1/2 a cup of pasta water!)
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 8 oz. feta cheese
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream
    • 1/2 cup pasta water
    • 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
    • 1 (15 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
    • 1 (4.8 oz.) jar ripe olives

Garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Add garlic, oregano, and thyme along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
  3. Add feta cheese and heavy cream to the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir for about 2-3 minutes or until the feta mostly melts and creates a sauce.
  4. Add pasta and half the pasta water to the pan and toss until pasta is evenly coated. Add more pasta water as needed.
  5. Add tomato, artichoke hearts, and olives to the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  6. Stir to combine and cook for about a minute or until everything is warmed through
  7. Garnish with parsley, Parmesan, and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

Salt your pasta water. I like to salt the water as soon as it comes to a boil and before I add the pasta. I add at least 1-2 tablespoons, probably more. Which sounds like a lot, but it's the only chance you have to season the pasta. Your pasta water should literally be as salty as the ocean.

Cook pasta just until al dente. I usually check the cooking directions and then cook the pasta for 1-2 minutes less than the lowest recommended cooking time. So if the cook time is 9-11 minutes, I'll start checking the pasta to see if it's done around the 7-8 minute mark. You want it to be tender, but still have a bit of a bite!

Reserve half a cup of pasta water when you drain the pasta. When you strain your, pasta reserve half a cup of pasta water to thin out the sauce. Pasta water is often referred to as liquid gold because it is starchy and delicious and is the best way to get your sauce to cling to your noodles. In this dish, the pasta water thins out the sauce and allows it to adhere to the noodles, coating every nook and cranny.

If you can - find the feta cheese that comes in a block. It seems to melt into the sauce better than pre-crumbled feta cheese. The block of cheese has more moisture and I also find that it has more flavor as well.

Use any kind of pasta you have on hand. You can use any type of pasta for this dish! Short cuts of pasta - like penne, rigatoni, macaroni - will do well in this dish. But so will longer cuts of pasta - like spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini.

Switch up the veggies if you'd like. As long as you keep the ratios about the same, you can switch up the veggies in this Greek pasta to suit your family's taste. I love to use sun-dried tomatoes in place of the grape tomatoes when I have them on hand!

Nutrition

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/greek-pasta-bake/