Pasta With Feta and Green Olives Recipe (2024)

Those looking for protein: white beans!

My father used to make something similar to this when we "didn't have food in the house" (a claim he successfully rebuked when making this). He added canned tuna!

For non-vegetarians add shrimp or chicken. For vegetarians, add some nuts (I think walnuts, pistacios, or pinenuts would be terrific). 1 c. feta provides 21 g of protein.

This was really tasty. As sarajean suggested, I added white beans to boost the protein. I also added some arugula at the end for color. I wish I'd topped it with toasted bread crumbs. Next time!

Not sure how I would survive without the “helpful” comments.

Sun dried tomatoes make a wonderful addition!

May I suggest adding some roughly chopped flat leaf parsley when you add the lemon juice? Adds some good flavor and color.

Feta has protein

Capers are better

With roasted cauliflower..

Delicious! You can also add a few anchovies at the end.

We had just two snack packets of olives from Trader Joe’s weighing 2.2 ounces. And that was plenty. I added 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter and 4 Tablespoons of Parmesan cheese too. This was delicious! I can’t describe the umami, briny delight this dish delivered. I can’t wait to make it again! I used bell-shaped pasta and garlic paste too. Don’t skimp on the pasta water. It’s a magical addition!

I've made something similar for years, except I add a pint of grape or cherry tomatoes, toss the cheese, tomatoes and olives together and then add them to the hot pasta once it's done. Super easy and a nice weeknight meatless meal.

Very adaptable recipe. I didn’t have olives because I don’t like ‘em, so classic NYT Cooking commenter style, I subbed a mix of capers and marinated artichoke hearts. I also added roasted cauliflower per a different comment. It was delicious and easy. I was a little too heavy handed on the lemon and added 4 whole T, but that’s on me.

Would plain goat cheese work well with this instead of feta?

Second time making this and this time used castelvetrano olives I bought at Costco that were brined in citrus (orange and lemon) and wow, it added some great flavor! I thought it was perfect the first time but this really enhanced it.

So simple and absolutely delicious. I grated the garlic instead of mincing—would do that again. Next time would add a slight bit more feta. Used Greek sheep’s milk feta from Costco (it’s good!).We grated some fresh pecorino romano on top because we love pecorino romano. Went well with a white Frico Bianco wine.

A good easy recipe but a bit bland as written, IMO. I added more garlic, a little olive brine, more S&P, 3 - 4 TBS of butter at the end, fresh chopped parsley, don't skimp on the feta, & I topped with some arugula. Then it was great! I agree with other comments that chopped nuts or beans would be a good addition, or even a breadcrumb topping. Chicken or shrimp would compliment it well. It really is easily adaptable to your taste & whatever you have on hand, which I like, so this is a keeper!

Olives - I interpreted the measurement to be about 1.5 cups of castelvetrano, prior to smashing & halving. It was not too much for 1lb of pasta. But I love olives so there's never too many IMO!

I made this with chickpea pasta as written & it was delicious! As others suggested, I added parsley & toasted walnuts.

Pretty sure they mean 12 olives, which weigh about one and a half ounces not 12 ounces of olives.

Can somebody advise on the right amount of olives, because12 ounces of olives seems like a huge amount

This was delicious. I didn’t have olives so used muffuletta olive salad that I had in the fridge. Cut back on the olive oil because of the oil on the salad but otherwise followed the recipe. It was briney, tart and delicious with extra bite from the peppers in the olive salad.

Good recipe as is (we did add some chopped walnuts that we had toasted in a dry skillet and sprinkled over the top at serving time).Easy to follow and clearly written recipe. All of the ingredients are easy to find.Flavor was excellent, and recipe yielded the quantity stated.

This was fabulous. I added anchovies and used cashew butter with the olive oil. Added more crushed garlic.

Added pistachios Added arugula

We liked this as written but to bulk it up we now make it a few times a year with the following changes: When the olives are nearly finished add 1–1.5 cans of cannellini beans and allow to soften a little. If you add 2 full cans of beans it needs more feta. Next add a tin of anchovies (drained and coarsely chopped) with the garlic. Just before serving toss in a couple handfuls of arugula as well.

Added white beans and toasted walnuts as suggested by several cooks. Really tasty and quick!

This is surprisingly and extremely good. I made it with bella di cerignola olives twice, which were great. I've also tried it with queen olives but didn't find them quite as good. Leftovers are good, too!

Solid, quick, easy recipe. It's fast because -- in the style of Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything FAST" (best cookbook format ever) -- you can do all the sous prep and then make the base sauce while boiling water/cooking pasta.I forgot to salt the pasta water (BOO!) but the saltiness/brininess in olives and feta overcame that (but I'd watch the added salt at the end if you cook it properly).A lot of the suggested additions in comments sound great for variety, added protein, color, etc.