Olive Pasta

This is an absolute favorite at my house.  If all you eat is spaghetti when your family has pasta, it's time to branch out and try something new!!  If you need a gluten free pasta, we've had good results with Tinkyada rice pasta.  Since I'm not getting paid to advertise, I can tell you with good conscience that it is cheaper to buy on Amazon by the case.

1 box penne or rigatoni
A total of 12 oz chopped olives:
     1 can black olives, drained and chopped
     Green olives, rinsed and chopped (and de-pimiento-ed) to make up the balance
2 oz bottle of capers, drained and rinsed
6 cloves garlic, halved
3 (14 oz) cans of whole tomatoes - drain one, partially drain the second, keep all the juice from the third.  Run a knife through the toms in the can just to chunk'em up a bit.
1 TB oregano
a sprinkle (or more) of red pepper
olive oil

In a pasta pot, start heating the water for your pasta.  In a wide, tall-sided skillet heat olive oil (a couple of passes around the pan, maybe 6 TB?), garlic and red pepper over medium-low for 4-5 minutes.  You want the garlic to give off its flavor but you don't want it to burn.  Smash the garlic with the bottom of a wooden spoon and remove.  Have a lid handy and put in the rinsed capers and then quickly cover the pan - it will spit a lot when you put the capers in the hot oil.  After a minute or two, add the tomatoes and smash any big pieces with your spoon.  Stir and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Stir in the olives and oregano.  Let the sauce simmer on low while you cook your pasta.  We like it with lots of Romano cheese.  If you are used to drowning your pasta in sauce, be warned: this is salty, and you don't want more sauce than pasta.   Go easy, you can add more if you need it. ;)