Balsamic Olive Tapenade

Upgrade your dip game with Balsamic Olive Tapenade with a zest of orange. Oranges and olives are long lost best friends. I mean who doesn’t love a little zest of orange… chocolate loves orange, braised beef loves orange… and yes olive tapenade loves a little orange.

This is the perfect 5-minute recipe. And one of our MANY no-cook sauces. It uses pantry staples and does double duty as a dip or a sauce. And right now the Peel household schedule is CRAZY and I am all about double duty dishes.  Or triple duty dishes…

15 Ways to use Balsamic Olive Tapenade

There are soooo many options, but the balsamic and orange zest push this olive tapenade into a whole new level of versatility. Buckle up… we have a long list of amazing ways to serve our favorite olive tapenade.

1. Stir ¼ cup in with a can of tuna, Mediterranean tuna salad!
2. Over grilled fish or chicken, especially love it on mahi
3. Stir 1/3 cup into your next beef braise (when there is 20-30 minutes left)
4. Stirred into cauliflower rice with 4 thinly sliced scallions

5. Mix ½ cup in with 1 lb of sautéed green beans

6. Mixed in with hummus
7. Over grilled veggies like zucchini and eggplant
8. Or stir into gluten-free pasta with frozen shrimp and a handful of spinach, dinner is served
9. Mix 1 Tbsp. with ¼ cup mayo for your turkey in lettuce wraps
10. Add to your avocado & sweet potato toast
11. Spread on gluten free crackers
12. Mix into a basic vinaigrette (if you don’t like chunky dressing try this Cilantro & Olive Vinaigrette)
13. Mix ½ cup in with 1 ½ cups marinara sauce and serve over spaghetti squash puttanesca
14. On a crudité platter (fancy way of saying dip some veggies in it)
15. Toss with zoodles, tomatoes, red onion and pepperoncini for a Greek pasta salad

Are you feeling inspired?  Also check out our favorite Ginger Carrot Dressing that has 11 MORE ways to use it!

How to Make No-Cook Balsamic Olive Tapenade

Select a mixture of olives including both green and Kalamata. Mince the olives and garlic and stir together with the remaining ingredients. You can add extra balsamic vinegar to give it more juice, if desired.  The tapenade can be served cold or slightly warmed.

If serving as a dip garnish with extra orange zest for a pretty little juju.

Print Recipe

Balsamic Olive Tapenade

No cook savory topping is perfect for grilled chicken, fish or steamed vegetables. Or even with gluten free crackers as a snack.

Prep Time5 mins

Total Time5 mins

Course: Dressing, Sauce, Snack

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean, Spanish

Keyword: Balsamic, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Olives

Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 cup mixed olives, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh oregano, minced
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 orange, zested

Instructions

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Taste for salt, although it should not need it. Add additional red pepper, if needed.
  

Notes

1. Use a mix of olives such as kalamata and green olives (pitted of course!)
2. If you can’t find fresh oregano substitute parsley
3. AIP compliant: Omit crushed red pepper