MSG Free Black Olive Tapenade
Briny, bold, and deeply savory, this Provençal-style spread is the kind of thing that makes a simple cracker or slice of crusty bread feel like something special. Kalamata olives bring a rich, fruity depth, while capers and anchovy fillets layer in that unmistakable punch of umami — all without a single packet of powdered seasoning or flavor enhancer in sight. Fresh thyme and a squeeze of lemon juice keep everything bright and balanced, cutting through the richness of the extra-virgin olive oil. The food processor does the heavy lifting in under a minute, giving you a rough, spreadable paste with just enough texture to feel rustic and handmade. Store-bought versions of this spread often sneak in preservatives or flavor additives that can be hard to track down on a label, so making it from scratch means you know exactly what's going into the jar. It's equally at home on a charcuterie board, stirred into pasta, or dolloped onto roasted vegetables — endlessly versatile and genuinely impressive with almost zero effort.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 ½ cups pitted kalamata olives
- 3 tbsp capers, drained
- 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Combine the Kalamata olives, capers, anchovy fillets, garlic clove, lemon juice, thyme leaves, and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor.
- 2
Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and no large olive pieces remain.
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