Farfalle with Tomatoes, Olives and Feta

From America's Test Kitchen Season 5: Quicker Pasta

Why this recipe works:

When tomatoes are in season, there’s no better time to make a simple, fresh tomato sauce. We like the classic pairing of tomatoes and olives, so we set out to make an easy, not too watery, sauce with Mediterranean flavors.

Seeding the tomatoes rid them of excess moisture and prevented a watery sauce. Instead of peeling the tomato skins, we decided to leave them on so the chopped tomatoes would have some structural integrity and not disintegrate. By making a no-cook sauce—the other components were fresh mint, chopped kalamata olives, and feta—we were able to prepare it quickly while the drained pasta waited on the sidelines. The potent olives and feta added a bright zestiness to our pasta, and the mint amplified the sauce’s freshness.

Serves 4

Add the feta after the tomatoes have been tossed with the pasta to prevent the cheese from melting.

Ingredients

Try AmericasTestKitchen.com
FREE for 14 Days

Start Your 14-Day Free Trial Membership

Get all 13 years of America’s Test Kitchen:

Full access to 13 seasons of America’s Test Kitchen recipes.
Complete 13 year video library — watch entire episodes or individual clips.
Up-to-date results for all our Taste Tests & Equipment Reviews.
Easy to print shopping lists, and more.

Dear Friend,

It is hard to believe, but 2013 marks the thirteenth anniversary of the America’s Test Kitchen television show. Since our very first season, we have been public television’s most watched cooking show and have shared hundreds of our best recipes, equipment reviews, ingredient taste tests, and cooking techniques with our viewers. And, AmericasTestKitchen.com is the only place you’ll find everything we’ve ever featured on the show — every recipe, equipment rating, and taste test since the very first episode of America’s Test Kitchen.

As you may know, America’s Test Kitchen is the home of “Recipes That Work,” and our mission is to be your trusted source for recipes that work every time you use them. Our test cooks spend their days obsessively testing recipes until they offer consistently great results. As we like to say here, “We make the mistakes so you don’t have to.” So, try out our website for a 14-Day, No-Hassle Trial Offer. Whether you are new to America’s Test Kitchen or have been an avid viewer for years, I think you’ll find AmericasTestKitchen.com to be an invaluable resource.

Thanks for your consideration,

Christopher Kimball
Founder and Publisher