Spanish Spaghetti with Olives

I originally rated this 3 stars, but I'm glad I tried it again using my homemade marinara (CL's Basic Marinara with a couple of adjustments). This bumps it up to a 5-star dish. Couldn't get enough of leftovers.

If you have a Trader Joe's where you live, they have a No Sodium sauce. I use that and add a little salt. Works well. Just be careful not to add too much back.

We LOVE this dish! Tremendous flavors!

Very flavorful with well balanced spices, just add a little fresh Parmesan and a glass of good red wine and you are set to go!!!

Very good and a nice change from the usual spaghetti with meat sauce. I used Old Bay seasoning instead of celery salt, but other than that kept everything the same as the recipe. Definitely use the saffron- I think that is what made this dish. My daughter is sensitive to spice, though, so next time I will cut down on the pepper flakes.

I rarely follow a recipe exactly. Since I don't like green olives, I use sliced black olives. I didn't have sherry one time I made it and used Moscato. We liked it better. I add Italian sausage with the ground beef. I omit the saffron because of expense. This is my absolute favorite spaghetti. I can even eat it cold. I make it at least every other week and there is never any to throw away.

This was really excellent and so easy and quick. I didn't really taste the saffron, and with it being so expensive probably will leave out next time. And there will be a next time!

I followed the recipe exactly except using whole wheat angel hair pasta. I am not a big fan of pasta, but this recipe was so good I went back for seconds. My husband says it is one of his new favorites. We will be serving this dish frequently and have passed it along to our daughters.

I liked this dish. I added some paprika and chopped celery as suggested by others. I didn't have saffron. This was relatively easy to make and was very tasty. I would definitely make this again. It makes a large portion as well.

I was really excited to make this after reading all the reviews. I thought it was good, but definitely not great. I won't make it again. The Pasta Puttanesca recipe from the May 2011 edition is still my favorite.

A great recipe! Nice and easy, perfect for weeknights.

Wow! This is so tasty not at all strong tomato taste I will definitely make again,company worthy for sure!

great flavor and good twist to traditional spaghetti sauce with the olives and some spice from the red pepper. Topped with parmesan and served with a bagged side salad instead of suggested side

I was really disappointed in this sauce. I love pasta puttanesca so thought this would have similar flavors. I followed the recipe exactly, but it was very bland with a slight "off" flavor.

I love this! I make it all the time. I made only a few tweaks to the recipe; I use arrabbiata instead of marinara and omit the crushed red pepper (the arrabbiata is already hot), and I use cut spaghetti - it's just easier to mix and eat. Yum!

I made this exactly by the recipe, and it was delicious. The sherry, capers and olives were fabulous additions to make this a different spaghetti sauce. My husband thought it needed more salt, but I disagree -- the olives added all the salt it needed. The only thing I would do differently next time is to cut the olives in half as shown in the picture (the recipe did not address that). By the way, I checked all the labels on every marinara sauce in my grocery store, and Amy's had the highest sodium of all of them (but there was not an Amy's labeled as low-sodium). I bought the lowest in sodium, which was Rao's Homemade (also the most expensive!).

This dish is really great! The combination of capers and olives with the marinara meat sauce is delicious! It is really easy to make!

Yummy and Easy! I substituted ground turkey because it's what I had on hand and omitted the parsley because I didn't have any, but it still came out fabulous! A definite repeater.

Great for a quick weeknight meal

Really enjoyed the olives and capers. The store was out of parsley so I substituted it with cilantro. Will certainly make this one again.

The whole family loved this - even the daughter who normally hates green olives and capers. Next time we make a double batch for sure for more left-overs. I omitted the celery salt for plain salt and did not use the saffron. Served with a tossed green salad. The only thing missing was the garlic bread and glass of wine. Ah well, it is Cooking Light afterall.

Wow! Super-delicious and SO quick and easy. Spaghetti night at our house used to be jarred sauce with some frozen meatballs. Never again! I didn't use the saffron (didn't have any). One of my children thought it was a bit too spicy, so you might want to use less red pepper. Those of us who like spicy can add more at the table. This dish has become a standard in our home.

Yum! Quick and simple!

This was really easy and really delicious. I used lean ground turkey. It was a bit too spicy for my boys, so I would use less next time. I happened to have all ingredients on hand, so it wasn't too expensive for me to make it. But it does require some investment if you don't have them (sherry, saffron, capers). But I get my saffron from Trader Joe's and it isn't too expensive there. Great recipe!

Very flavorful and easy to make, having just come back from vacation in Spain, it brought me back to vacation. I used ground turkey instead of the beef and added a little extra on the spices.

Except for the addition of olives and capers, I couldn't tell a difference between this and Italian spaghetti. The sherry and saffron didn't come through, and overall I found the dish to be too salty. I also didn't see how a serving would be >400 calories, and this came to about 3 servings for us, even with modest portions. I did use homemade fresh pasta and so had to eyeball the proportions, and I cut back on the onions by half; so the overall amount may have been reduced. I liked the Spanish spin on this dish and may make it again, but using celery seed rather than celery salt and maybe increasing the sherry and/or saffron.

We really enjoyed the flavor of this. Not as tomato forward as most spaghetti dishes. I do not have saffron and my store was out of fresh parsley. Can't wait to make it again and will use the parsley next time but probably won't buy saffron unless I'm feeling extra flush! The sherry was great in this dish and we thought the servings were generous.

Loooved this. I am a freak for spaghetti, as well as olives so it was rightup my alley. Definitely a new rotation in the winter dinners. The combination of flavors is unique and a pleasing change from your ordinary spaghetti dish.

Delicious mix of complex flavors. Love the saffron, although it's expensive! Didn't have capers (I usually do), but it was still great!

Great. Husband and I both loved it. Didn't use capers cause we don't like too much salt and was still very flavorful. Very easy to make. Definitely on the rotation of new favs

WOW! Loved this! I did change/substitute a few things....Instead of red meat, I use half ground turkey breast & turkey sausage. The brand of Marinara was Colavita "Spicy Marinara Sauce"..wonderful! I added more Sherry to give it a little more depth of flavor. I also used fresh basil instead of parsley. A definite keeper!

Really liked this recipe. It was very easy to make on a busy evening. I didn't put parsley in the recipe and I also used an olive medley which was a good addition to the recipe.

wonderful! we just had this for dinner and the whole family loved it. i followed the recipe except for the celery salt, didn't have any so I added a tiny bit of chopped fresh celery and it was fine. we will definitely make this again! thank you for the great recipe :)

This was absolutely delicious! I was a bit worried about the saltiness from the olives & the capers but it was very well balanced since I didn't add any salt to the pasta water nor the sauce. I doubled everything except for the pasta because we like our pasta saucey. I omitted the celery salt & saffron because I didn't have them on hand. It still tasted so yummy and my fiance asked for seconds. I served it with garlic bread and salad. Thank you for a great recipe!

My Mom made this when I was a kid. I don't add the olives to the sauce but always eat olives with it.

The recipe sounds wonderful & will try it but wanted to get the recipe for pear, date/fig & manchego salad. Thanks!

This recipe was very good. It's a nice twist on your every day spaghetti dish. I followed the recipe exactly. Will definitely be making again!

A bit too briny for my taste, and I usually love olive brine! The dirtier the martini, the better! less olives, and i think it's a good dish.

A family favorite. Excellent flavors. Served with pear, fig (when available), & manchego salad which complements it nicely.

Super easy with great results. Made to recipe, omitting only the celery salt (we don't buy it). Served with the recommended pear, date, manchego salad. Excellent supper, definitely would serve to guests.

What a lovely meal for company! I made it "as is" except for the saffron and substituted Boca Crumbles for the beef...I'm vegan, do not judge me. Really delicious! Served with a salad and bruschetta it makes a very easy yet impressive meal.

I didn't think it was super special. I probably won't make this exact recipe again, but only because it is so similar to the spaghetti I already make just saltier.

My family really enjoyed this recipe. I also made the salad which was very good. I needed more sauce than this recipe makes so I added more marinara and increased the spices, capers and olives just a little. Then I simmered it in the crock pot for a few hours. I always think the flavors in sauce are enhanced when simmered for several hours or made one day and served the next day. My husband liked it a lot. I'll make it again for sure.

Made this as per recipe and it was delicious. I added a touch of smoked paprika during the last few minutes of simmering for a little smoke.

All I can say is too briny, not a taste that I care for in my spaghetti sauce.

Nice spin on spaghetti! It was last minute, so I used what I had on hand: no celery salt or saffron, but added diced celery & mushrooms, then topped w/some fresh parmesan. Delish, will def make again!

This is one of my favorite recipes. The flavor of this dish is wonderful.

Very nice, a little too much oregano for my taste. Made with Dreamfield pasta for a low carb version. Also used one 13oz box of spaghetti with a 24oz jar of sauce, 1 lbs of hamburger then upped the other ingredients by about 50%.

WONDERFUL! It was the perfect balance of spices. I didnt have sherry so I used a splash of red wine. I will make this again and again. You cant go wrong!

this is a favorite in our house! what a fresh, new spin on spaghetti! we've tried it with different meats, including ground turkey and ground venison. both were fantastic. try serving it with manchego cheese toast points.

Huge hit at our house! It tastes so complex, but it's remarkably easy. Will make again and again.

Great recipe! I omitted the saffron, capers and celery salt (didn't have any) and used ground white pepper and whole wheat pasta. I also used a low sodium pasta sauce I already had. The green olives add just the right amount of zing to this recipe, and it was a big hit. Definitely will make again.

I've made this twice and loved it both times. I substitute ground turkey for the beef, but otherwise prepare as directed. Will make lots more times!

I used whole wheat pasta, ground turkey, and CL diavlo sauce. This dish was extremely spicy for my taste(very sensitive) but I think this is due to my choice of diavlo sauce instead of marinara. My boyfriend(for him the hotter the better) said he could have eaten 5 servings and will be requesting it again soon. Served with a simple side salad.

I love this! I double it and it is great with any sauce. Have made it for company that loved it as well.

This was a very good recipe! One of the better sauces I've had! Good combination of flavors! I substituted ground turkey for the beef and some red wine for the sherry. Will definitely make again!

This was an excellent, yet simple dish. Very flavorful and easy to make. I will make again.

Loved this. Will make again soon.

This was a great weeknight recipe. I doubled the recipe so that I could use the whole package of meat. I used ground turkey instead of beef and left out the saffron and capers. Perfect with hot, crusty bread and a salad.

This is a wonderful dish if you make the sauce from scratch. Plus use the best Spainish Olives you can find. I also increased the red pepper and added more saffron.

Wow, surprised this got good reviews. I love olives (and pasta) and thought this would be great. The flavors simply did not meld. The capers were way too prominent and added too much sour flavor. (and yes, I usually like capers). This was also surprisingly bland for the combination of ingredients. It wasn't terrible, but one star actually means "would not make again" and I would not.

We will be making this recipe again very soon. I used leftover fresh pasta that I had made the night before and it worked perfectly. I also used chicken broth for the Sherry since I did not have any. My kids 6 & 9 would have licked the plates if I had let them. :)

I thought this was really good, substituted 1.5 pounds sliced baby portabella mushrooms (sauteed prior to adding the other ingredients) for the hamburger but left everything else the same. Good home cooked meal with a bit of a twist.

I loved this recipe and it was quick and easy to make. I had made my own sauce and added it plus I didn't have capers (which I usually do) so those were the only changes. I can't wait to make this meal again and add in those capers. The addition of sherry vinegar was wonderful.

My husband and I enjoyed this recipe. Surprsingly, my 3 year old who loves olives, did not. Maybe it was the saffron? I followed the recipe but added extra saffon and omitted the capers. I made double the sauce and frozen half of it. Hopefully it freezes well!

This was the best spaghetti sauce I have ever had. The safron and the sherry really made it special. I made it for my wedding anniversary party and it was a hit. I will definitely make it again.

My expectations were high after reading the reviews, but I was disappointed. I was expecting something that tasted similar to picadillo. I thought this dish was really ordinary and not loaded with flavor. Maybe it was the marinara sauce I used? It was OK, but nothing special. Will not make this again.

This meal is good the night of and even better the next day. I used whole wheat spaghetti (16 oz) and lean ground turkey (95% fat free & 1.33 lbs). I also couldn't find saffron, so I skipped it and for celery salt, I had celery seeds and added a bit more salt. This meal is so incredible good and hearty. I LOVED the pear, date, and Manchego salad that was paired with it. My husband asked for thirds on everything! So yummy!

Very good!! We used whole wheat pasta and it was a very tasty dish!! Will make it again! We are usually not to fond of 'Spanish' style dishes, but this was an exception!

loved it! A GREAT change from traditional spaghetti. Definitely will make it again.

Even my picky 8-year old had seconds! (well, he picked out the olives, but it's a start!). Cut down on the marinara (plain tomato sauce is fine in this recipe) and add at least a 1/2C of sherry (rather than the meager 1/4C) to brighten the flavor. The saffron is very subtle.

This is fantastic! I made it vegetarian by using Morningstar Farms veggie crumbles. Can reduce onions to only one medium one. I skipped the saffron and the celery salt.

I made this last night and it was wonderful! I left out the saffron and used whole wheat pasta. I will be making this again and again!