We were nearing the end of the week (i.e. we needed to do some shopping), so I decided to make my favorite pasta dish since it is made with things that I try to keep stocked in the pantry. I love this pasta dish and I make it often. The recipe is so versatile that you could do a lot with it- throw in some extra veggies or some faux meat, if you’d like.

I got the idea for this recipe from New Vegetarian Cooking by Rose Elliot. After making her recipe for “Linguine with Peppers, Basil and Pecorino” once, I decided to change it up a bit (and veganize it):

1 TB olive oil

pinch of red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup olives, chopped (I typically use a mixture of green kalamata)

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped or sliced

Fresh basil leaves, either torn or chopped

Any kind of pasta noodle (I typically stick with linguine)

Boil your noodles per package directions. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic and let them saute for a minute. Add in the roasted red peppers and olives and let them heat through. When the pasta is cooked, toss it in the skillet with the veggies. Do a taste test for seasoning and add a little salt and pepper, if needed. Be sure to taste first- the olives are already very salty. Throw in the basil and toss through.

This dish is so easy to make and can be made a million different ways. I’ve added blanched broccoli florets to it and have also wilted in some baby spinach leaves. For this particular batch, I threw in some artichoke hearts. As I’m sitting here typing this, I just had the idea to add some toasted pine nuts next time. Wouldn’t that be tasty?!