Quick, comforting plant-based pasta with garlicky okra, juicy tomatoes and plenty of black olives.
Some recipes disappear from your repertoire almost as quickly as you create them. Others somehow stick around.
I first put this okra pasta recipe on My Inspiration back in 2013, when I apparently had something called “pasta day” every week and was constantly trying to come up with a different sauce to stop it becoming predictable. Thirteen years later, I still think that was a pretty sound idea.
This particular combination happened almost by accident. I’d planned to use asparagus, couldn’t get hold of any, spotted some okra instead and decided to give it a go.
Thankfully, it worked.
The okra gives the sauce a little more substance than you get from a straightforward tomato pasta, the cherry tomatoes add sweetness and the lemon lifts everything. And then there are the black olives.
I was apparently obsessed with them in 2013.
I’m not going to pretend much has changed.
The result is an easy, satisfying plant-based dinner that can be on the table in around half an hour.
Serves 2 | Ready in around 30 minutes | Vegan | Gluten-free option
Ingredients
- 160g wholewheat penne
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- ½ tbsp dried basil
- 10 okra (lady’s fingers), sliced
- 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 120ml passata
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 40g sliced black olives
- Freshly ground black pepper
- A little water for sautéing
For a gluten-free version: simply use your favourite gluten-free penne.
Method
Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the penne according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving a small amount of the pasta water.
Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add around two tablespoons of water, followed by the sliced garlic and dried basil. Cook gently for a minute or two until fragrant, taking care not to let the garlic catch.
Add the sliced okra and cook for around 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the passata, then add the lemon juice, cherry tomatoes and a generous grinding of black pepper. Reduce the heat and allow everything to simmer gently for around 7–8 minutes.
Stir through the black olives and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the drained penne directly to the pan and toss everything together until the pasta is well coated. If the sauce feels a little thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.
Spoon into warm bowls and serve immediately.
Garlic bread alongside is entirely optional.
Although I don’t remember treating it as optional in 2013.
Notes from my kitchen
About the okra: If you’re wary of okra because of its reputation for becoming slimy, don’t overcook it. Slice it shortly before cooking and give it a few minutes in the hot pan before adding the tomato sauce. A little acidity from the lemon and tomatoes also works particularly well with it.
Don’t love okra? The asparagus I originally went looking for would still work beautifully here. Courgette, aubergine or tenderstem broccoli would also make sensible substitutes.
Olives: I use black olives because their mellow, salty flavour works beautifully with the tomato and basil, but green olives would give the dish a sharper edge.
Leftovers: Keep any leftovers covered in the fridge and reheat gently with a tablespoon or two of water to loosen the sauce.
A little piece of My Inspiration history
Looking back through recipes I wrote more than a decade ago is rather lovely. Food trends change, websites change and apparently I now photograph dinner rather differently, but a good bowl of pasta remains a good bowl of pasta.
And perhaps that’s reason enough not to reinvent everything.
Originally published in September 2013 and updated in September 2026.
More from the My Inspiration kitchen
Spicy Mung Bean Chilli
White Bean & Spinach Cannelloni with Picante Mushroom Sauce
Sri Lankan Sweet Potato & Pea Curry
Spicy Chickpea & Mushroom Stew with Spinach Polenta Dumplings
