I found the original recipe for this amazing garlic-stuffed olive pasta salad in the December 2000 edition of Chile Pepper magazine. If you like spicy, good food, then you should subscribe to Chile Pepper. The recipes, articles and photos are great!
Now, to make the kicked-up version of this garlic-stuffed olive pasta salad, like the one in the magazine, you’ll want to use habanero-stuffed olives. I figured that’d be a little much for my wife, so I substituted garlic-stuffed olives instead. You can also use jalapeno-stuffed olives if you still want a nice kick.
The end result is a fantastic olive salad. The saltiness of the olives is balanced perfectly by the balsamic vinegar and the spices and herbs.
Also try my BBQ pasta salad.
Garlic-Stuffed Olive Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound shell pasta
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons brine from the olives
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- pinch kosher salt
- ½ cup stuffed olives habanero-, jalapeno-, or garlic-stuffed
- 1 clove garlic minced (add only if not using garlic-stuffed olives)
- ¼ cup red bell pepper chopped
- 2 green onions chopped
- ¼ cup Italian parsley chopped
- pinch dried oregano
- pinch dried thyme
Instructions
- Cook the pasta and drain well.
- Pour the olive oil into a large bowl. Whisk in the olive brine and balsamic vinegar along with a pinch of salt.
- Add the pasta and toss to coat.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients.
- This salad is best served at room temperature.
- If the salad is a little dry the next day, just stir in a bit more olive oil.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
