Penne with Cherry Tomatoes and Kalamata Tapenade

Technically this recipe is supposed to be for 1/2 pound of pasta, but I found that the tapenade covers much more pasta than that.

Pasta Ingredients:

1 pound whole wheat penne pasta (or your favorite pasta)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium-size red onion, sliced into thin half moons (about 1 cup)
1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved

Tapenade:

1 1/2 cups kalamata olives, pitted
3 Tbsp capers, drained
2 cloves garlic, chopped
handful of fresh parsley (about 1/2 cup lightly packed)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
A few dashes of fresh ground pepper
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil

Prepare the tapenade:

Combine all the tapenade ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Prepare everything else:

Prepare the pasta according to its package directions. While the pasta is boiling, saute the onions and cherry tomatoes in the olive oil over medium heat for about 7 minutes.

Reserve a 1/2 cup of cooking water from the pasta and drain the rest. Add the pasta to the tomatoes and saute for a few seconds. Add 1 cup of the tapenade and the reserved pasta water; stir to coat. When the tapenade is heated through it is ready to serve.

If you have leftover tapenade, it's delicious to spread it on


Serves 2-4