Healthy Mediterranean Penne
This Healthy Mediterranean Penne is garlicky, lemony, a little spicy, and so delicious! Our recipe uses whole grain penne pasta, fresh broccoli, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, fresh herbs, lemon, and more, to make this main dish extra tasty.
This pasta recipe is surprisingly easy to make and so healthy. This vegetarian recipe is also vegan and dairy-free, and can easily be converted to gluten-free. To find out how you can pimp up this recipe 6 different ways, read more in our Blog Comments & Tips below.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe updated as of 3/23/22
HEALTHY MEDITERRANEAN PENNE
Ingredients
Instructions
- Fill an 8-quart stock pot with water and bring to a rolling boil on high heat. Once boiling, toss in 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and stir. Add whole grain penne pasta to the boiling salted water, and cook according to package directions for al dente pasta (slightly undercook, as pasta will continue to cook in the sauce for the last 2 minutes).
- Place broccoli florets into a large microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle pici all’ aglione seasoning (or ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes), and toss to evenly coat with spices (when adding spices, do NOT inhale, as they are strong). Add 1 tablespoon water to the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave until tender-crisp (about 3-4 minutes), but still vibrant green. Uncover as soon as broccoli is finished steaming, toss occasionally to cool, and set aside. NOTE: The broccoli will continue to cook for a couple of minutes when combined with the pasta and sauce.
- While pasta is cooking and broccoli is steaming, heat a large 5-quart sauté pan on medium heat. Add olive oil, and heat until glistening. Add crushed red pepper flakes (see #1 in Notes section) and cook for 30 - 60 seconds (do not let brown). Add tomatoes, and dried basil leaves, and sauté until tomatoes soften (about 5 minutes) and sauce begins to form. Using a garlic press, add pressed garlic cloves to the tomatoes and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant (about 30 - 60 seconds). Add white wine, stir to combine, and simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
- When pasta is ready, drain (but do NOT rinse), and reserve at least 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. To the sauce, add Kalamata olives, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ground black pepper, and stir to combine. Then add lemon juice and lemon zest, stir, and cook for 1 minute.
- To the sauce, add drained and cooked pasta, and about ½ cup of pasta water (see #2 in Notes section), and stir to combine. Add cooked broccoli, and gently toss to combine and evenly coat pasta and broccoli. Heat for about 2 minutes, tossing occasionally, and adding more pasta water, as needed. Once pasta and broccoli are heated through, toss in fresh basil leaves, and stir to combine. Serve immediately!
Notes
- For a more spicy pasta, increase crushed red pepper flakes to ¼ teaspoon, or more to taste, when adding to the olive oil.
- If the pasta absorbs too much of the sauce and starts to look a little dry, adding ½ cup pasta water at a time will thicken and moisten up the sauce. This is not a very saucy pasta, but it should be moist and glistening.
- Depending on portion size, this recipe yields 6 - 8 servings.
- See serving suggestions in our Step by Step Instructions in our blog, for various topping ideas and dietary options.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
215.27Fat (grams)
6.78Sat. Fat (grams)
1.48Carbs (grams)
30.77Fiber (grams)
6.10Net carbs
24.67Sugar (grams)
4.18Protein (grams)
7.82Sodium (milligrams)
572.25Cholesterol (grams)
2.17Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Optional garnishes are not included in the nutritional calculations.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
STEP 1
Fill an 8-quart stock pot with water and bring to a rolling boil on high heat. Once boiling, toss in about 1 teaspoon kosher salt, stir, and add 16 ounces dried whole grain penne pasta to the boiling salted water, and cook according to package directions for al dente pasta (see Note below).
Note: We recommend undercooking the pasta a little, as it will continue to cook in the sauce for the last 2 minutes.
STEP 2
Place 6 cups broccoli, small florets, into a large microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle on ¼ teaspoon pici all’ aglione seasoning (or spice mix for pasta all’ aglione, or ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus salt & pepper), and toss to evenly coat with spices (see Notes below). Add 1 tablespoon water to the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave until tender-crisp (about 3-4 minutes), but still vibrant green (see Notes below). Uncover as soon as broccoli is finished steaming, tossing occasionally to cool, and set aside (see Note below).
Notes: Do not inhale when adding the spice mix for pasta all’ aglione, as the spices are very strong (similar to avoid when breathing in chiles). This Tuscan seasoning has salt in it, so if replacing with crushed red peppers, add salt and pepper to the broccoli before steaming. If you don’t like using a microwave, use any method of steaming you like, as long as the broccoli is seasoned well and not overcooked. The broccoli will continue to cook for a couple of minutes when combined with the pasta and sauce, so it’s okay to be tender-crisp at this stage.
STEP 3
While pasta is cooking and broccoli is steaming, start the sauce. Heat a large 5-quart sauté pan on medium heat.
a) Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and heat until glistening. Add ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (see Note below), and cook for 30 - 60 seconds (do not let brown).
b) Add 4 cups halved (lengthwise) grape tomatoes and 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, and sauté until tomatoes soften (about 5 minutes).
c) At this point, a sauce will begin to form.
d) Using a garlic press, add 6 medium garlic cloves, pressing directly into the tomatoes, and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant (about 30 - 60 seconds). Then add ½ cup white wine, stir to combine, and simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
Note: To make this pasta more spicy, increase crushed red pepper flakes to ¼ teaspoon, or more to taste, when adding to the olive oil.
STEP 4
When pasta is ready, drain (but do NOT rinse) and reserve at least 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, and set aside.
a) To the sauce, add 16 Kalamata olives (pitted and halved lengthwise), 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste), and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; stir to combine.
b) Then add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest.
c) Stir and cook for 1 minute.
STEP 5a
a) Add drained and cooked pasta to the sauce and about ½ cup of pasta water.
b) Stir to combine and evenly coat the pasta with the sauce.
c) Add cooked broccoli.
d) Gently toss to combine broccoli, pasta, and sauce.
STEP 5b
Heat for about 2 minutes, tossing occasionally, and adding more pasta water, as needed (see Note below). While pasta is heating, cut fresh basil into chiffonade.
3 tablespoons;
a) Stack fresh basil leaves.
b) Roll basil leaves (like a cigar).
c) Cut basil into chiffonade.
d) Once pasta and broccoli are heated through, toss in ¼ cup fresh basil leaves (chiffonade), and stir to combine.
Note: If the pasta absorbs too much of the sauce and starts to look a little dry, adding ½ cup pasta water at a time will thicken and moisten up the sauce. This is not a very saucy pasta, but it should be moist and glistening.
SERVE!
Once combined, serve immediately!
See Serving Suggestions below for topping ideas.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
VEGAN & DAIRY-FREE: Drizzle on a little extra virgin olive oil to finish, and add some fresh torn basil leaves.
VEGETARIAN OPTION 1: Add freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, as garnish.
VEGETARIAN OPTION 1: Add crumbled fresh goat cheese and more fresh basil, as garnish.
VIDEO
How to Make this Fresh Pasta 3 Different Ways!
Blog Comments & Tips
Healthy does not mean without flavor!
This Healthy Mediterranean Penne has a tasty, fresh sauce that is garlicky, lemony, a little spicy, and SO flavorful! It is also quick and easy to make, and serves a variety of dietary needs. The key to this recipe is to use fresh, high quality ingredients, so that the individual flavors can shine through. Despite the few ingredients in this recipe, it has layers of flavor that will make this main course a memorable meal. The seasoning is also important, as it gives it a unique and slightly spicy flavor.
Last year, one of my favorite people in the world (Mary E.) sent me a gift for no reason at all (other than just being her thoughtful self). It was a package of Pici All’ Aglione seasoning . She knew I loved to cook and remembered I loved the seasoning in her delicious roasted broccoli. This seasoning was direct from Tuscany and is most often used in flavoring sauces for pasta in the central region in Italy. In our home, we typically use it on roasted vegetables and other Italian sauces and dishes that need an injection of more spice and flavor. It’s a powerful seasoning, so we use it sparingly. However, we use it so often that I needed to replenish my pantry.
Unfortunately, during my search, I found many recipes for the Pici All'Aglione pasta dish instead of the spice. It turns out it’s almost impossible to come by in the USA, but we found something fairly close to it (spice mix for pasta all’ aglione). The blend Mary E. gave me is just perfect. However, if you decide not to buy the one from the link, and want to make your own, Pici All’Aglione seasoning seems to be a combination of dried herbs and spices, crushed red pepper flakes, and dried giant sweet Tuscan garlic.
To make your own, try combining dried sliced garlic, parsley, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, and course salt.
Disclaimer: There were no ingredients listed on the label of the original product from Tuscany, so we are basically guessing at the ingredients. Okay, back to the pasta…
This pasta is also versatile and perfect for entertaining, especially when your guests have various dietary preferences. I’ve made a variation of this recipe for years, but I brought it to the Pimp My Recipe test kitchens to develop a healthier version. I can honestly say that the new version of this recipe was a success! To test it out, I made this pasta dish for my daughter’s birthday this year and everyone seemed quite happy with the results.
Our family has omnivores, pescatarians, vegetarians, vegans, and dairy-free dietary preferences. Needless to say, it’s sometimes a challenge to develop a menu that will work for everyone. The base recipe for this pasta dish is vegan, so I made the recipe as is, but garnished it to everyone’s dietary preferences. I also made a simple, but beautiful Roasted Salmon with Garlic and Herb Sauce, for our omnivores and pescatarians. There wasn’t much talking during the meal, just a lot of “Mmm” and “Ooh, this is so good!”
Our recipe uses whole grain penne pasta, fresh broccoli, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, fresh herbs, lemon, and more, to make this main dish extra tasty. This pasta recipe is surprisingly easy to make and so healthy. Broccoli is considered a superfood, and the addition of whole grain pasta in this dish, add so many nutritional benefits. Take a look below at some tips for making this pasta a success.
Our 5 tips to making this Healthy Mediterranean Penne:
High quality and fresh ingredients.
Don’t overcook your pasta OR your broccoli.
Add pasta water to the sauce, as needed.
To prevent the edges from browning, wait to chiffonade your basil until just before adding it to your pasta.
If using parmesan cheese, spring for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. It’s worth it!
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Make it Spicy: Add more crushed red pepper flakes to the olive oil. ¼ to ½ teaspoon, would be mild to medium spicy. ½ to 1 teaspoon would be very spicy.
Make it Milder: Use only ⅛ teaspoon, as indicated in the recipe. Or, omit the crushed red pepper and pici all’ aglione seasoning all together, for no spice at all. Season the broccoli with salt and pepper before steaming.
Make it Vegetarian: Garnish with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese or goat cheese crumbles to add a little protein and calcium. Goat cheese will make it creamy, and parmesan cheese will give it a saltier taste.
Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten-free pasta of your choice, and don’t overcook it.
Make it Dairy Free: Make the recipe as is, with only a garnish of fresh torn basil.
Add Protein: This pasta dish tastes particularly good with a roasted or baked chicken breast, grilled salmon, or our Roasted Salmon with Garlic and Herb Sauce.
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Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: If I haven’t said it enough…remember to NOT overcook your pasta or your broccoli, as they will continue to cook in the sauce.
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