This Tuscan White Bean Pasta is definitely my type of recipe. It’s quick, uses a lot of fresh ingredients, is very filling, and flavorful. This pasta packs protein (white beans and parmesan), veggies (tomatoes and spinach), and carbohydrates (pasta), making it a great one-dish meal. You can serve it up as is for a lighter main dish, or add some sliced grilled chicken to make it a bit more filling.
Can I Substitute the Tomatoes?
If you can’t find fresh tomatoes and spinach for a good price, you can substitute one can of diced tomatoes (with juices) in their place. Make sure to let them simmer a bit so the juices reduce and concentrate in flavor.
Can I Use Frozen Spinach?
Yes, if needed, you can use frozen chopped spinach, although the texture of fresh spinach is far better for this recipe. Kale can also be substituted for the spinach, just make sure to tear it into very small pieces and it will take slightly more time to wilt down in the skillet.
What Kind of Pasta Should I Use?
I prefer a long pasta for this dish, like fettuccine or linguine, but you could also easily do this with a shorter pasta like penne or bowtie pasta.
Tuscan White Bean Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
- 8 oz. linguine or fettuccine ($0.63)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.13)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced ($0.24)
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes ($1.99)
- 10 cranks freshly ground pepper ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1 15oz. can cannellini beans ($0.69)
- 4 oz. baby spinach ($0.65)
- 3 oz. shredded parmesan ($1.89)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat to bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes). Drain the pasta in a colander.
- While you’re waiting for the water to boil, mince the garlic. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, or until it has softened and become very fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil. Sauté the tomatoes until the skins burst and the tomatoes begin to release their juices. It’s important to not have the heat under the skillet too high here or the garlic may burn before the tomatoes break down. You want the garlic to brown and caramelize a bit, but not burn.
- Once the tomatoes begin to break down, add the spinach and stir it into the tomatoes until it is about half way wilted.
- Rinse and drain the can of cannellini beans. Add the beans to the skillet and stir until they are heated through. The tomato juices will have created a thick sauce-like mixture on the bottom of the skillet at this point. Taste the mixture and add a bit more salt if needed. It should be slightly on the salty side in order to properly flavor the pasta.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet. Toss until the pasta is coated in the sticky sauce and everything is combined. Top with shredded parmesan, plus add a bit of Parmesan to the top of each bowl.
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How to Make Tuscan White Bean Pasta – Step By Step Photos
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add 8 oz. fettuccine or linguine and cook according to the package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander. As the water is heating, mince 3 cloves of garlic. Add the minced garlic to a large skillet along with 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter. Sauté over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
Add 1 pint grape tomatoes, 1/2 tsp dried basil, some freshly cracked pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. Continue to sauté until the tomatoes pop open and begin to break down. The juices will begin to create a thick, almost jam-like sauce. The garlic will caramelize and turn a bit brown, just make sure the heat is not so high that it begins to burn before the tomatoes begin to pop open and release their juices.
Add 4 oz. fresh spinach and sauté for a couple of minutes, or until it’s mostly wilted.
Rinse and drain one 15oz. can of cannellini beans and add them to the skillet. Continue to sauté until they are heated through. Taste the mixture at this point and add a bit of salt if needed. You want it to be slightly on the salty side in order to flavor all the pasta.
Add the cooked and drained pasta, then toss until everything is coated in the tomato juices.
Top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!
This Tuscan White Bean Pasta is hearty enough to stand alone as a one dish meal, or you can pair it with some grilled chicken and maybe some homemade garlic bread. Enjoy!
See this recipe in my weekly meal prep!
Yum! I had a bunch of extra grape tomatoes to use up, and this recipe inspired me to use them with pasta. I didn’t have any parmesan cheese, but I did have a “nacho spice” nutritional yeast blend. I put some of that on there to give it a cheesy flavor, and it was delicious! I feel like this is the sort of recipe that is very forgiving with substitutions. 10/10
Did almost everything as stated. I did add a little more garlic, crushed re pepper, a splash of white wine and lemon and leftover chicken. So yummy!!!
Quick, easy and delicious. The is a great high-protein, vegetarian option. I added yellow squash zucchini to the veggies for more nutrition and color to the dish. I think pine nuts would also taste great in this and add even more protein. Definitely recommend.
This was delicious and so customizable!! I added some onion with the garlic and used half 2/3 of the tomatoes and added a small chopped zucchini. I love how the tomato juices add to the sauce creation. I also added some leftover chicken I had. I also added in some Greek seasoning so I just love. And finally I used some chickpea rotini I had a half box of left. I could make this again and again. I’m so happy I get to keep the leftovers to myself!
I threw in some white grapes for something extra with the tomatoes, which was a medley grape type. Popular first dish.
This was fabulous! It tastes like something from a restaurant. I used penne noodles because that was all my store had for gluten free, but I feel like it was better as the sauce had more noodle surface area to stick to. I also used a basil “stir in paste” as my store was out of dried basil, and that was great. Would definitely recommend using the stir in or fresh basil if accessible.