Lemony pasta with beans, greens, and garlic comes together quickly, making it the ideal dinner dish for busy weeknights. It's easy to customize to suit the contents of your fridge. This super easy recipe is vegan with a gluten-free option.
Lemony Pasta with Beans, Greens, and Garlic
It may look like I'm making lavish gourmet meals all the time, but there are plenty of days when I don't feel like cooking. Dinner on those days is usually a quick stir-fry or an easy pasta dish.
Weeknight pasta is usually made with beans and greens, and a quick sauce. Maybe pesto, maybe something from a jar. If I'm not feeling very saucy, I'll just use the pasta cooking water and some seasonings. That's what I've done here, adding the water to lemon and garlic.
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.
How to Make Lemony Pasta with Beans, Greens, and Garlic
This recipe is super easy to make!
- First you cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Be sure to save the cooking water!
- Then you heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to brown.
- Next you add the greens and garlic to the pan and cook until the greens begin to wilt. You may need to add the greens in batches, depending on the size of your pan.
- Now you add the lemon juice, reserved pasta water, beans, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if you're using them, to the pan. You continue cooking for a few more minutes, until everything is heated throughout.
- Remove the pasta from the heat and top with olives and vegan parmesan, if you're using it.
How to Customize Your Lemony Pasta
You can easily make this recipe your own!
- If you follow a gluten-free diet, make sure you use gluten-free pasta. I like Explore Cuisine's Red Lentil Pasta and Banza's Chickpea Pasta.
- The first time I photographed this for my blog, I used escarole, which had come in a co-op share. I now use kale. You can use any type of hearty green veggie you like.
- Add extra veggies, if you like. Try broccoli, cauliflower, or bell pepper.
- You can use chickpeas instead of white beans, if you like.
Lemony Pasta with Beans, Greens, and Garlic
Ingredients
- 10 ounces pasta cooked according to the package instructions (reserve some of the cooking water)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large bunch kale or chard coarsely chopped (about 6 cups)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup pasta cooking water or vegetable stock
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes sliced
- salt and pepper taste
- pinch red pepper flakes optional
- ½ cup kalamata olives sliced
- vegan parmesan for serving, optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat, and cook the onion for about 5 minutes, until the onion starts to brown.
- Add the greens and garlic to the pan. You may have to add the greens in batches as they begin to cook down, about 5 more minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, reserved pasta water, beans, sundried tomatoes, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using, to the pan. Cook for 2 or 3 more minutes, until heated throughout.
- Remove from heat and toss with the cooked pasta.
- Top with olive and vegan parmesan if using.
More Pasta Recipes You Might Enjoy Include
urbanvegan
Looks easy and delish--perfect for busy folks who happen to be pasta-holics (like me).
debbie
Oh this looks good and fairly simple to make....my kind of dish! Thanks for sharing this.
Carrie
Quick, easy and sounds delicious. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma)
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