This healthy Mediterranean Angel Hair Pasta is the happy social butterfly of the dinner recipe crowd. Very effortless! Very fashionable!
A light and easy combination of angel hair pasta, chicken breast with fresh lemon, and classic Mediterranean ingredients like tomatoes, parmesan cheese to make it creamy, and artichokes, this simple yet great healthy pasta recipe can be made at any meal.
I value recipes that combine cooking staples and fresh ingredients to create quick and healthy meals. Mixing fresh and cooking items means I only need to buy one or two things to make dinner.
It’s often less expensive to cook and shop this way, and because pantry items are often quick and convenient, I can get dinner on the table sooner too.
Ingredient:
Wheat pasta with more fiber, protein, and nutrients than regular pasta, whole wheat pasta is better for you. The taste is mild, so no one will suspect your healthy exchange. You will always find a box or two in my stash.
As long as the pasta is 100% whole grain, no one type is better for you than the other. I like to have a few shapes on hand to make a variety of healthy pasta recipes.
This shrimp garlic pasta, chicken feta pasta, and cabbage pasta are two of my favorites for long-style noodles like spaghetti and fettuccine.
Shorter noodles are perfect for sundried tomato pasta and chicken capers pasta. Canned food is an instant way to add a colorful and delicious serving of greens to any recipe.
Steaming and chopping fresh artichokes on a weeknight? No, open a can of artichoke hearts and add them to a quick batter.
Yeah! Canned olives salty-umami oomph. They taste great and only add a few dollars to your grocery bill. Extra virgin olive oil. Do not skimp on the amount, because you need it to create a delicious sauce.
While olive oil adds fat, it’s good fat, making this pasta recipe even more heart-healthy.
Next, we have the ingredients on Team FRESH. They are a classic Mediterranean combination that brings pasta to life. Cherry tomatoes. Juicy, sweet, and tasty all year round.
Chopped garlic while I sometimes take a shortcut with garlic powder, in this healthy batter, you need the real deal. Freshly squeezed lemon juice. Bottled juices are not allowed.
Grated parmesan like lemon juice, use the real thing (not the green can). This pasta has few ingredients, so each one is incredibly important.
This Mediterranean pasta is a testament to the fact that a recipe doesn’t have to be long, complicated, or complicated to be delicious and flavorful.
Instructions:
Boil a large pot of water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
While the water is boiling and the pasta is cooking, prepare the remaining vegetables and ingredients: Mince the garlic. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half; Drain and chop the artichoke; Drain and cut the olives in half.
Once the vegetables start cooking, the recipe goes quickly, so you want to be prepared. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and chopped red pepper.
Cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomatoes begin to break down and release some of their juices into the oil. Add the pasta to the pan and pour it over. Add artichokes and olives. Sprinkle lemon juice over the pasta.
Continue to stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until heated through. If the pasta seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it.
Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as desired. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley. Mix once more and enjoy.
Grades:
Tips from Mary’s recipe author: Don’t skimp on olive oil or parsley. Both are key to giving the final dish great flavor. To reheat: Reheat gently in the microwave or on the stove with a splash of water to prevent the pasta from drying out.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Creamy Mediterranean Angel Hair Pasta
Tomatoes, tangy feta cheese, fresh lemon juice, and aromatic herbs fill this hearty Creamy Mediterranean Angel Hair Pasta dish. This is the perfect Mediterranean pasta for a weeknight because it just takes a few minutes to prepare.
This Mediterranean Pasta and Why You’ll Love It:
This pasta is well regarded for its minimal difficulty and tremendous reward, as well as its rich, vivid Mediterranean tastes.
Angel hair spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and olives make for a winning combination that will quickly become a household favorite.
The recipe calls for vegetarian ingredients, but you may easily substitute meat or another protein.
To name a few examples: fried shrimp, shredded chicken, canned tuna, and chickpeas. You may also eat it on its own as a healthy and tasty snack. With only a few simple pantry staples, you can whip up this delicious Mediterranean pasta dish.
It’s convenient since it can be stored for several meals in the fridge. This pocket pasta dish is versatile enough to become a regular in any household.
Recipe Components and Variations:
Angel hair pasta is my go-to for this dish since its airiness complements the dish’s richness. Whole wheat pasta is a great choice if you’re looking to boost your nutritional intake.
You could also make chickpea pasta as a gluten-free, high-protein substitute. For the tomatoes, you’ll need one pound of cherry tomatoes to make a sweet sauce and jam. You should either dress head to toe in red or a combination of red, yellow, and orange.
When the red onion is roasted, it develops a peppery sweetness that complements other flavors. As an alternative, shallots can be used to increase the dish’s overall taste.
The secret to this dish is fresh garlic. In contrast to fresh garlic, garlic powder does not improve the flavor of the sauce.
Herbs: Both fresh rosemary and dried oregano are used to give the pasta a robust herbal flavor. The vibrant flavor of fresh lemon juice is a great addition to the batter. When you want a rich, sunny flavor, fresh is better than bottled.
Spinach – Fresh baby spinach makes smooth green ribbons throughout the pasta, adding a variety of nutrients with no effort. The luscious creaminess and saltiness of feta cheese cannot be matched. Parmesan cheese, in grated form, can also be used.
To add a salty, meaty taste to your olive dish, choose Kalamata black olives. Castellotrano olives are my go-to because of their mild flavor and buttery texture.
Instructorless with Detailed Step-by-Step Guidance:
First, you’ll need to cook the pasta by filling a big pot with salted water and bringing it to a boil. Put in the pasta and cook it until it’s just firm. Before draining the pasta, save a cup of the cooking water. Return the drained pasta to the cooking pot.
While the oil is warming, prepare the tomatoes and onions for step 2 by placing them in a large pan over medium heat. After the oil is heated, add the tomatoes and onions. Allow to simmer for 7–8 minutes, or until tomatoes are bursting and onions are tender.
The second step is to fry the garlic and spices, at which point the roasted red pepper, oregano, fennel seeds, and garlic should all be added to the tomatoes. Put in the oven and let it bake for 2 minutes, or until the aroma is released.
In the third step, softened spinach and lemon juice are added to the pot with the tomatoes. Combine with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and rosemary.
Combine the tomato sauce with the cooked pasta in step 4, then add another cup of water to the saucepan to rehydrate the pasta you set aside in step 1.
Toss the pasta in a bowl and use a pair of tongs to toss it around until a thin sauce forms and coats the pasta.
After removing the pasta from the pan, stir in the feta cheese and the olives. Distribute the spaghetti among 5 bowls and serve with the optional toppings of your choice.
Mediterranean Pasta Dishes:
Despite being delicious on its own, here are some alternatives that are sure to please any palate: If you’re looking for a vegan alternative to traditional Mediterranean pasta, try this: Vegan Mediterranean Pasta with Sweetener (No Feta).
The addition of artichoke hearts gives the spaghetti a more substantial feel. To make Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta, season 12 ounces of peeled and deveined shrimp with salt and pepper, then sauté them in an oiled pan over medium heat until opaque throughout.
Add the shrimp to the spaghetti after you’ve already added the feta cheese and olives.
After you’ve added the feta and olives to the spaghetti for a Mediterranean Tuna Pasta, drain a can of tuna (or salmon!).
Shredded rotisserie, grilled, or pan-fried chicken can be added to cooked pasta for a quick and easy Mediterranean chicken pasta dish.
Chickpea Pasta from the Mediterranean: Chickpeas, once drained and rinsed, can be added to a tomato sauce and spaghetti dish after the sauce has had time to Blend into the pasta.
Can pasta be included in a Mediterranean diet?
Vegetables, beans, whole grains, fish, shellfish, and extra-virgin olive oil are all highly recommended for the Mediterranean diet.
The Mediterranean diet can include pasta (particularly whole-wheat spaghetti) as a staple food. Mediterranean cuisine also recommends chickpea noodles.
Is it ok to eat pasta drenched with olive oil?
As a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet, extra virgin olive oil provides a healthy foundation for pasta sauces. High quantities of monounsaturated fats and anti-inflammatory chemicals in this pasta are beneficial to cholesterol and cardiovascular health.
Olive oil plays a pivotal role in the preparation of the tomato sauce for this pasta dish.
Here’s how to keep it fresh and reheat it later:
Transfer leftovers to a sealed jar and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. To prevent the pasta from drying out, microwave it on low heat with a splash of water or broth.
Mediterranean Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken
What could be better than a quick and easy meal that is also delicious for you? This Mediterranean Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken is great.
A word of caution, though: once you have this Mediterranean angel hair pasta, you won’t be able to stop thinking about it.
One of the nicest pasta meals I’ve ever had, packed with all the best flavors you can get from Mediterranean cooking. The combination of tomatoes, capers, olives, and tuna needs no further explanation.
They come together to make an airy and simple sauce that clings to every angel hair pasta strand.
You could substitute another type of pasta if you wanted to, but the delicate texture of angel hair helps to soak up the bold spices that give this meal its explosive punch.
As soon as possible, within the next hour, eat or transport this food (more time to let all the flavors meld with the heat).
Because of how fast pasta cooks, you should always prepare the sauce first. Keeping the noodles al dente necessitates cooking the sauce first in traditional Italian kitchens.
The spaghetti may be served right away by covering it with the sauce. Finished with a little drizzle of pure, unfiltered olive oil, you’ll discover that the tastes complement one another well.
Instructions:
Over medium heat, add the anchovy paste, garlic, and shallots to a medium to large saucepan coated with half of the olive oil. Warm up in the pan for a while. Ten minutes into cooking, add the tuna.
Roast the tomatoes for 30 minutes after adding them. Add the capers and olives halfway through cooking.
Prepare the pasta while the tomato sauce is cooking on low heat. Cook the pasta in water with 2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt added when the water boils.
Be sure the sauce is ready before adding the pasta because it just takes approximately 3 minutes to cook. Mix the cooked pasta with the sauce, then top with the parsley and the rest of the olive oil. Serve!
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