Salty, spicy, and pickley Castelvetrano olive tapenade spaghetti salad is my new summer salad jam. Forget that supreme seasoning and go for something way more flavorful! These bright green olives along with fresh herbs, garlic, lemon and capers make this Castelvetrano olive tapenade spaghetti salad something people will be talking about for days!
In my family, olives are a food group. My brothers, Mom, Dad, myself and my grandma all went nuts for the tray of olives at every single family party and holiday gathering. My family was up on cheese boards before they were even called cheese boards.
We called them a relish tray—a little glass butterfly dish with four different sections. One section for black olives, one section for green olives, and then two sections for pickles. Always dill. Get that bread and butter garbage outta here.
As Mike is reading this he is most likely cringing because there are only two things he hates more than tomatoes and that’s pickles and olives. It still baffles me how we ended up together with such varying taste levels.
My Grandma always referred to the appetizers as “snicky snackys.” And even though “snicky snackys” came after the meal was well over (we also like to eat dinner at 4 so naturally by the time 7pm rolls around we are all ready for round two), my Grandma went to town on those olives.
As she got older, she developed certain dietary restrictions that come with old age and she wasn’t supposed to eat olives anymore. Um, you ever try and tell a 70-90 year old woman they can or can’t do something? Yeah. Good luck with that. She snuck a few olives here and there still.
If my dad said anything, she would hand wave him and shoo him away.
This past week we said good bye to my 94-year-old grandma. She had been in the decline for a few years now so it is better she is at peace now. Of course it’s still sad, naturally, but we all are getting by in our own ways. Sorry to take the blog to a super sad turn.
I planned this recipe for the blog before she passed. We had a BBQ for Memorial Day. GMa Flo was a big fan of BBQ’s too. We joked about me having no “snicky snacky” platter. I served this Castelvetrano olive tapenade spaghetti salad instead, and she would have loved it.
Castelvetrano Olive Tapenade Spaghetti Salad
Castelvetrano olives, lemon, garlic, fresh herbs, and capers for the perfect tapenade to dress a good ol' fashioned spaghetti salad.
Ingredients
- 1 cup castelvetrano olives plus more for garnish
- 2 tsp drained capers
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes depending on heat level tolerance
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 10 oz spaghetti
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
Instructions
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If you didn't buy pitted olives, use the side of your knife to smash the olive like you would a clove of garlic. Peel both halves aside and remove the pit.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to the package instructions, until al dente. Drain and set off to the side.
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Add olives (reserving a few for garnish), capers, parsley, basil, garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper to a food processor. Pulse, scraping down a few times as needed, until chunky.
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Add olive oil, lemon juice, and tapenade to a large mixing bowl/serving bowl. Whisk to combine. Use tongs to add the spaghetti and parmesan to the bowl, mix to combine.
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Top with more pitted olives and the bread crumbs. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in fridge until ready to serve. Serve room temp for best results.
