Tapenade Pasta Salad

Name: Tapenade Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Cuisine: Mediterranean Inspired
Ingredients: 1½ cups pitted kalamata olives; 1 garlic clove, finely grated or minced; ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or dried herbes de Provence; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed; Finely grated zest of 1 lemon; 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar; ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil; Salt; 1 pound short pasta, such as farfalle; ½ pound green beans, halved crosswise; ½ cup fresh basil leaves; ⅓ to ½ cup shaved ricotta salata, optional; Freshly ground black pepper

By Clare de Boer

Published July 28, 2026

Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.

Media 1 of 1

Ready In: 1 hr 10 min
: (10 min prep, 30 min cooking, plus 30 min cooling)
Rating: (0)
Comments: Read comments

This pasta salad is intensely savory and plush with blitzed olives. The green beans and basil let us know it's summer. Unlike many pasta salads, which can be greasy or dry, this one is creamy from the addition of pasta water to the dressing. As the noodles cool in the tapenade, they absorb its flavors and some of the pasta water, leaving just enough behind to emulsify the olive oil, so every bow tie stays glossy.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

For the Tapenade

1½ cups pitted kalamata olives
1 garlic clove, finely grated or minced
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or dried herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the Pasta

Salt
1 pound short pasta, such as farfalle
½ pound green beans, halved crosswise
½ cup fresh basil leaves
⅓ to ½ cup shaved ricotta salata, optional
Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil.
Step 2
Make the tapenade: Place the olives, garlic, thyme, fennel seeds, lemon zest and red wine vinegar in the bowl of a food processor. Blitz until the olives are broken down, but not into a paste. Add the olive oil and pulse once to combine. Scrape into a large bowl and set aside.
Step 3
Prepare the pasta: Boil it for 4 minutes before adding the green beans, then continue to cook until the pasta is slightly shy of al dente and a little too firm to eat (the timing will range depending on the brand you’re using). Reserve 3 cups of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and green beans. Tip the pasta and beans into the bowl with the tapenade, add 2 cups of the pasta water, and toss to combine.
Step 4
Stir the pasta from time to time as it cools to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Taste it. If it starts to look a little dry, add another splash of pasta water, or vinegar if it needs more acid.
Step 5
Tear in the basil leaves, sprinkle over the ricotta salata (if using) and top with freshly ground black pepper just before serving, ideally at room temperature.