This easy Mediterranean pasta comes together in under 30 minutes for a bright, healthy weeknight dinner. Tender rigatoni, cherry tomatoes, and a basil breadcrumb finish make it feel special.
Some nights it’s a pasta night, but you want something a little more interesting than mac and cheese. This Mediterranean pasta with artichokes and olives was born out of that mood: it’s a chunky comfort-food pasta but with bright vegetable energy!
Something I’ve come to understand after years of cooking through the Mediterranean diet (for this site and for my new book) is how the important the shape of the pasta is. Here rigatoni feels substantial stabbed on a fork with chunks of cherry tomato, tangy artichoke, and briny olives. It also comes together in under 30 minutes, meaning it’s a great vegetarian dinner or pasta side dish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s hearty without being heavy. No cream sauce or butter: just olive oil, vegetables, and a hint of Parmesan cheese.
- It fits the Mediterranean diet. I created this recipe to feature olive oil, vegetables, and whole-food Mediterranean diet staples like artichokes and olives.
- Done in under 30 minutes. It’s a fast weeknight dinner that doesn’t taste like a shortcut.
- It’s vegetarian and easy to adapt. Add a can of seasoned chickpeas or some flaked tuna for even more protein, or serve with a white bean salad.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Most of what you need is already in a well-stocked Mediterranean diet pantry. A quick tour of the key players:
- Rigatoni: I like rigatoni here because the wide tubes catch the chunky vegetables, but any short, ridged pasta (penne, spirals, ziti) works well.
- Cherry tomatoes: Try for ripe in-season tomatoes or there are many hothouse cherry tomatoes that taste great.
- Canned artichoke hearts: A Mediterranean diet pantry staple! I always have a few cans on hand.
- Green olives: Castelvetrano are my favorite (buttery, mild, not too briny), but any mild green olive works.
- Garlic, lemon zest, and Parmesan: These add big flavor dimension.
- Panko, smoked paprika, and fresh basil: The best part is the basil breadcrumb topping: sprinkle it as a required garnish before serving.
How to Make Mediterranean Pasta with Artichokes & Olives
Here’s the rhythm of the recipe: full instructions are in the recipe below!
- Boil the rigatoni in well-salted water until al dente, and reserve pasta water before draining.
- Saute the cherry tomatoes in olive oil until they release their juices, then add the garlic, olives, and chopped artichoke hearts.
- Make the basil breadcrumb topping by mincing fresh basil with panko, smoked paprika, and salt.
- Toss everything together with lemon zest, grated Parmesan, and a splash of pasta water. Garnish with basil breadcrumbs before serving.
Pro tip: Don’t skip the pasta water. Even a quarter cup transforms the dish from “vegetables next to pasta” into a glossy sauce. A tip from my mom: I place a liquid measuring cup right into the colander in the sink so I never forget before draining the pasta!
What to Serve Alongside
I usually treat this as a one-bowl meal because it has so much going on: pasta, vegetables, herbs, cheese. However, if you’re serving it as a vegetarian dinner it’s nice to have an added protein element since the pasta is not high protein in itself. It’s also nice to add fiber; here are some ideas:
- A bean salad like my marinated dense bean salad or white bean salad
- Cooked beans like canned chickpeas, easy white beans or cannellini beans
- A simple green salad like a simple arugula salad
- Crusty bread like sourdough bread, olive bread, or artisan bread
- Broccolini or sautéed greens on the side like sauteed broccolini or easy sauteed kale
- A glass of crisp white wine
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
This dish is best served right away. Leftover pasta stores refrigerated for up to 3 days; store the breadcrumb topping in a sealed container in the pantry.
To reheat, add a splash of olive oil to a skillet and warm over medium heat until heated through. I don’t recommend freezing this pasta because the texture doesn’t hold up.
Dietary Notes
This Mediterranean pasta is vegetarian. To make it vegan, swap the Parmesan for nutritional yeast or a vegan Parmesan alternative. To make it gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free pasta and gluten-free panko for the topping.
Mediterranean Pasta with Artichokes
Pin RecipeThis easy Mediterranean pasta comes together in under 30 minutes for a bright, healthy weeknight dinner. Tender rigatoni, cherry tomatoes, and a basil breadcrumb finish make it feel special.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner, fast dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean, Mediterranean Inspired
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the pasta
- 12 ounces rigatoni
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup green olives, chopped
- 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt
For the breadcrumb topping
- 1 small handful fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup panko
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil; I usually add 1 tablespoon kosher salt to a large pasta pot filled halfway with water. Add the rigatoni and cook according to package directions until al dente (usually 10 to 12 minutes). Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
- Cook the vegetables: Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the cherry tomatoes and 1 pinch of salt and cook until softened and beginning to wilt, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, olives, and artichoke hearts, season with freshly ground black pepper, and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute, until garlic is fragrant and remove from the heat.
- Make the breadcrumb topping: On a cutting board, mince together the basil, panko, smoked paprika, and kosher salt until evenly combined.
- Toss the pasta: Add the drained pasta to the skillet along with the remaining olive oil, lemon zest, and Parmesan. Toss to coat, adding splashes of the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Taste and add a bit more salt if desired, keeping in mind the breadcrumbs will also add salt. Serve garnished with basil breadcrumbs (required for the flavor!).
More Mediterranean Diet Recipes to Try
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