Mediterranean Inspired Pasta

Vegan and gluten free friendly

Originally published: October 28, 2019

Full disclosure, how I cook is fairly random at times. I love using the ideology of using what you have before buying new, even though I often find myself in grocery stores perusing aisles for fun. This leads to a lot of experimentation considering what I typically have in the fridge are scraps from previous meals. Over the summer my boyfriend (Benjamin) and I were going through a little Mediterranean kick. So here’s a little penne pasta dish that I came up with to satisfy both of our pasta cravings (he also makes a mean garlic, olive oil pasta recipe that’s to die for- maybe I’ll have him make it and share the recipe ala here). I used brown rice penne pasta (feel free to use non gluten free if you’re not sensitive), pitted kalamata olives, dry white wine, capers, and added all the greens.

This recipe does include garlic and shallots which are considered high-fodmap but I’ve been incorporating small amounts of these into my diet and haven’t noticed a huge difference. Another thing to note is that when using garlic you should always let it sit out for 20 minutes after crushing it to let the allicin fully activate (allicin is an enzyme that reduces inflammation and boosts antioxidants). Let me know what you think and if you remake this please tag me so I can share!

Ingredients

1/2 pound (half of a 16oz bag) of brown rice tube shaped pasta

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 tbsp shallots, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced

3-4 tbsp capers with brine

3-4 tbsp pitted kalamata olives with minimal brine

8oz of cremini mushrooms

3-5 cups of tuscan kale

1/4 cup dry white wine

2-4 grilled artichokes without brine, roughly sliced

1/3 cup pasta reserve

salt, pepper, and red pepper pepper flakes to taste

hemp seeds for topping, or protein of choice (optional)

Method

Crush and mince 2 cloves of garlic. Set aside and let sit for 20 minutes to activate the allicin.

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water. Make sure to not skimp out on the salt, as you’ll need 1/3 cup of pasta reserve- the saltier the better. Stir occasionally until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup of the salted starchy pasta water and strain the rest of the pot. Set aside.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and shallots. Cook until shallots are soft and slightly caramelized. Then add in your garlic, cook for a couple of minutes. You want to make sure they get browned but not burnt!

Add in your mushrooms, capers, salt and pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes.

Once mushrooms are browned, add in your pitted kalamata olives and grilled artichoke hearts. Cook for 4 minutes and occasionally stir.

Add in the dry white wine, stir, and then toss in your kale. Once kale is thoroughly combined and cooked down (5-7 minutes) add in your strained pasta and combine while slowly incorporating the reserved pasta water.

Once pasta is completely combined with the mixture the pasta water should create a sauce like texture. Top with red pepper flakes, hemp seeds, or protein of choice.