Give pasta night a tasty makeover with Lemony Garlicky Pasta with Beans and Greens. This dish comes together quickly, making it the ideal dinner for busy weeknights.
A recent co-op share came with two large heads of chicory, and I wasn’t really sure what to do with it at first. It just seemed to be screaming out for white beans, so I used my instincts and threw together a pasta dish. This meal resembled my usual “I Don’t Have a Plan For Dinner Pasta”, in which I just use whatever types of beans and greens I have on hand, so feel free to change it up if you like. Chickpeas and chard work well, as do black beans and broccoli.
Beans and greens are both nutrient rich, containing a host of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber, so I include them in my meals every day. They’re both high in calcium, as well as protein and iron.
Lemony Garlicky Pasta with Beans and Greens
Ingredients
- 10 ounces cooked pasta I used Tinkyada gluten-free pasta – reserve some of the cooking water
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 onion chipped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large head chicory or escarole coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup pasta cooking water or vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cup cooked cannellini beans 1-14 ounce can or 1½ cups cooked dry beans
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes sliced
- Salt and pepper taste
- Pinch red pepper flakes optional
- ½ cup kalamata olives sliced
- Nutritional yeast for serving optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat, and cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until the onion starts to turn translucent and garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add the greens to the pan. You may have to add it in batches as they begin to cook down. Add the lemon juice and reserved pasta water or broth, beans and sundried tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste along with the red pepper flakes, if using. Cook for just a few more minutes, until heated throughout.
- Remove from heat and toss with the cooked pasta.
- Top with olive slices and nutritional yeast and serve. Enjoy!
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Looks easy and delish–perfect for busy folks who happen to be pasta-holics (like me).
Oh this looks good and fairly simple to make….my kind of dish! Thanks for sharing this.
Quick, easy and sounds delicious. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Oh la la, this looks like a meal for me! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com