3 fast and delish olive oil pasta recipes

Craving a warm, comforting and satisfying pasta dish? Don’t worry the crew from Little Wing Foods have you covered for your home-cooked pasta fix, with not just one but three super easy recipes.

The Little Wing team has thoughtfully incorporated fresh ingredients including Mount Zero Olives new season extra virgin olive oil into each delectable recipe.

Whether you’re after a light and zesty seafood flavour, simple olive oil and garlic combo or maybe a rich, tomatoey and salty puttanesca, these flavour-packed olive oil pasta recipes won’t disappoint.

Here are three quick pasta recipes to inspire your next weeknight meal or dinner party that you’ll want to sink your teeth into stat. Now comes the tricky bit, to decide which one to cook first!

Aglio e olio (garlic and oil) spaghettini  

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g spaghettini
100ml Mount Zero Frantoio or Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 long red chilli
1 cup flat leaf parsley
1 lemon, zest only
Parmesan, to taste
Mount Zero Pink Lake salt and pepper, to taste

Tip: As the ingredients are so simple, we recommend using premium extra virgin olive oil, as it makes a massive difference to the final flavour. The olive oil is the hero of this dish, so you’ll benefit greatly from using a high-quality new season extra virgin olive oil to add freshness and complexity of flavour, such as Mount Zero Olives frantoio extra virgin olive oil or picual extra virgin olive oil.

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with enough salt to taste like the ocean, cooking pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions, stirring occasionally.
2. Slice garlic finely against the grain, so you can see the core of the garlic as a small round circle in the centre of each slice.
3. Slice the stalk off the chilli, then proceed to split the chilli lengthways before discarding all seeds, and finely chopping.
4. On low to medium heat, add half the olive oil and garlic and cook until it just begins to turn golden.
5. Add chilli, stir through briefly before adding cooked pasta, along with 4 tablespoons of pasta cooking water, then remove from heat.
6. Add parsley leaves, lemon zest, season with salt and pepper.
7. Plate up and finish with an additional drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated parmesan. Glossy pasta perfection on a plate!

Puttanesca spaghetto quadrato

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g Little Wing Puttanesca
500g spaghetto quadrato
100ml Mount Zero extra virgin olive oil
1 tin anchovy fillets (50g)
1 cup flat-leaf parsley 
Parmesan to taste
Mount Zero Pink Lake salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Method

1. Boil water with enough salt to taste like the ocean, cooking pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions.
2. Add half the oil to a heavy-based saucepan, and gently warm.
3. Add all anchovy fillets, and continue to stir over medium to low heat until completely dissolved.
4. Add Little Wing Foods Puttanesca, and bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Drain pasta, retaining four tablespoons of cooking water for adding to the sauce.
6. Add pasta and reserved water to the sauce, stir.
7. Plate up and finish with chopped parsley, an additional drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated parmesan, salt and pepper.

Prawn and lemon extra virgin olive oil linguine    

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g linguine
12 large prawns, peeled and chopped
1L fish stock (or vegetable)
100ml Mount Zero lemon pressed olive oil
100ml white wine (dry)
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 shallots, peeled
1 long red chilli
1 long green chilli
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 lemon, juice only
Pink Lake salt, to taste

Method 

1. Boil water with enough salt to taste like the ocean, cooking pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions until al dente.
2. Finely chop garlic, shallot, red & green chilli.
3. On low to medium heat, add half the lemon oil and add garlic, shallot, chilli, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook gently until vegetables start to soften and begin to stick.
4. Add prawn, cooking until 50% cooked through.
5. Deglaze pan with wine, scraping the pan.
6. Add stock, and bring to a rapid boil.
7. Add cooked pasta then remove from heat.
8. Toss contents vigorously.
9. Add parsley leaves, lemon juice and season with salt.
10. Plate up and finish with an additional drizzle of fresh lemon pressed extra virgin olive oil.

Craving more pasta deliciousness? Check out Mount Zero Olives’ other pasta recipes including fresh nettle gnocchi with mount zero manzanilla olives, zucchini and chilli and conchiglie, chickpeas and smoked evoo.

Original recipes created by Little Wing Foods for Mount Zero Olives - any reproductions beyond this require approval by the owner.