Best 20 Pasta And Beans Recipes

LEMONY PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Grate the zest from the lemon into a small bowl. Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice from half of it on top of the zest. Add the white beans, shallot or onion, grated garlic, red-pepper flakes and a large pinch of salt and toss well. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just shy of al dente, usually 2 minutes less than the package directs.
• Meanwhile, heat a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, then add the asparagus. Sauté until the asparagus is tender and starting to brown at the edges, 7 to 10 minutes. Add a big pinch of salt and the sliced garlic and sauté until the garlic is lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
• Dip a coffee mug or glass measuring cup into the pasta water and scoop out about 1/2 cup of it to use for the sauce. Drain pasta, shaking it well. Add pasta, bean mixture, parsley and Parmesan to sauté pan and cook until the beans are hot and the pasta is al dente. If the mixture looks dry, splash in some (or all) of the reserved pasta water. Squeeze remaining lemon half over pasta, toss and taste. Season with pepper; add more salt, red-pepper flakes and lemon juice, if desired.

PENNE PASTA WITH CANNELLINI BEANS AND ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and cook the penne pasta 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the escarole, cannellini beans and liquid, and diced tomatoes with garlic and onion until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with the cooked pasta to serve.

PASTA WITH ESCAROLE, WHITE BEANS AND CHICKEN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
• Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large, deep saute pan or 8-quart stockpot.
• Saute the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 1 minute. Stir in the sausage and cook until heated through and browned, about 4 minutes. Add the escarole and cook until wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the beans, 1 cup of chicken stock, sage and red pepper flakes and simmer until the mixture is heated through and liquid is slightly reduced.
• Add the sausage-bean mixture to pasta and toss well, loosening with the additional 1/2 cup chicken stock if necessary. Season with freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste.
• Divide among 4 pasta bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

PASTA WITH TOMATOES AND BEANS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet or saucepan. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic, and stir together until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes with juice and a pinch of sugar. Raise the heat slightly, and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes are bubbling vigorously. Lower the heat to medium-low, and cook gently, stirring and mashing the tomatoes often with the back of your spoon until they have cooked down into a thick, fragrant sauce, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the beans and the herbs, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• When the pasta water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the pasta. Cook al dente, following the recommendations on the package but checking about a minute before the indicated time. When the pasta is just about done, check to see if the tomato sauce seems dry. If so, add up to 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the pan and stir. Drain the pasta, toss with the sauce and serve, passing the cheese for sprinkling.

MINESTRONE SOUP WITH PASTA, BEANS AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
• Thirty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add ditalini, zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Garnish with basil, if desired.

PASTA WITH GREEN BEANS AND ALMOND GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water (2 heaping tablespoons kosher salt to about 7 quarts water) to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-low heat, toast the almonds, stirring frequently so they don't burn, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine the almonds, celery or parsley leaves, lemon zest, garlic and a pinch of salt. Set aside and wipe out skillet.
• Add pasta to boiling water and cook until it is al dente, according to package directions. About 2 minutes before it's done, add the beans to the pasta pot. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and drain the pasta and beans.
• While the pasta and beans drain, make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in the large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is golden in color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn heat to low and add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet (be careful of splattering) and cook until it is reduced by about half, 1 to 2 minutes more. Turn heat to medium and add the pasta, green beans and butter to the skillet and toss until the butter melts. Add the cheese and an additional 1/4 cup water and toss until the cheese is emulsified and the pasta is glossy with sauce. If needed, add an additional 1/4 cup pasta water to loosen. Season with kosher salt, to taste.
• Transfer the pasta to a large bowl, top with gremolata and drizzle with more olive oil. Pass additional grated cheese at the table, if desired.

PASTA WITH PESTO, POTATOES, AND GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a large pot of water; bring to a boil.
• Add salt and cavatappi or other short tubular pasta; return to a boil; cook 2 minutes.
• Add green beans. Return to a boil; cook until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes.
• Drain; toss with pesto; season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PASTA AND BEANS

Steps:

• Soak the cannellini beans overnight and drain.
• Pulse the bacon, garlic, and rosemary in a mini-food processor to make a fine-textured paste or pestata.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the pestata, and cook until bacon has rendered its fat, about 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, make a second pestata (you don't have to wash the processor) by puréeing the onion and carrot. Add the second pestata to the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has dried out and starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes.
• Scrape the pestata to one side of the pan to clear a "hot spot," add the tomato paste, and let cook for a few minutes, until lightly toasted. Stir the tomato paste into the pestata, and add the drained beans, the potatoes, and the bay leaves. Pour in the water. Bring the soup to a boil, cover, and let cook at a strong simmer until beans and potatoes are tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes, uncovering to reduce liquid about halfway through the cooking time. Stir in the salt.
• With a large wooden spoon, mash the remaining potatoes against the side of the pot to thicken the soup. Return soup to a boil, add the ditalini, and cook until pasta is al dente. Season to taste.
• Serve soup with a drizzle of olive oil and some grated cheese.

PASTA, BEANS AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Saute; a couple of cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat.
• Add 2 cups of chopped fresh or canned tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, or until saucy; add 1.5 cups canned white beans (or about 1 cup of cooked beans) and heat until bubbly.
• Add a little more minced garlic, then a pound of cooked penne pasta.
• Add fresh basil and a bit more oil and serve.

PASTA WITH SAUSAGE, WHITE BEANS AND ESCAROLE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat 10 minutes, remove and slice into 1 inch chunks.
• Add onions, garlic and escarole to the skillet and cook until the escarole is wilted.
• Add broths, sausage and cannelini beans and simmer 15 minutes.
• Stir in cheese and mix with hot pasta.

ITALIAN PASTA AND BEANS (PASTA FAGGIOLI)

Steps:

• Cook pasta as box instructs, in boiling salted water.
• While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot.
• Add onion, carrot and celery and cook for 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add garlic and cook one minute more.
• Add beans, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and water and heat to boiling over high heat.
• Reduce heat to low-med heat and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.
• Stir in drained pasta, cheese and parsley and cook until heated through.

CREAMY GREEN BEANS AND PASTA

Steps:

• If using fresh green beans, cook in a covered saucepan in a small amount of boiling water for 20 to 25 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan cook pasta according to package directions, adding the mushrooms, frozen green beans (if using), and green onion during the last 4 to 5 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta and vegetables in a colander. Set pasta mixture aside.
• For sauce, in the same large saucepan stir together yogurt, flour, mustard, nutmeg, and pepper. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in pasta mixture, cooked fresh green beans (if using), and pancetta or ham. Heat through. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

PASTA WITH WHITE BEANS, PESTO AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine and pesto; simmer over medium heat until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Add cannellini and stir until heated through.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water.
• Add pasta and cheese to sauce; toss to coat. Mix in enough reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

VEGETARIAN PASTA E FAGIOLI (PASTA AND BEANS)

Steps:

• In a large heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
• Stir in onion with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add dried herbs and red pepper flakes into the oil and toss to coat to bring out some of the dried herbs' flavors.
• Stir in garlic, and then celery, and carrots and cook for about 3 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
• If necessary add an additional cup of stock or water and stir in beans and tiny pasta.
• Simmer for 6-8 minutes or until pasta is tender.
• Stir in parsley and serve hot with grated parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

PASTA AND BEANS (PASTA E FAGIOLI)

Steps:

• Cold soak or quick soak the beans: Cold soak-dump beans into a 2-3 quart container; pour in enough water to cover by at least 4 inches; let soak in a cool place at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours; drain thoroughly. Quick soak-place beans in a large saucepan, covering them generously with cold water; bring to a boil; boil 1 minute before removing from heat; let stand uncovered 1 hour; then drain.
• Pour 6 quarts water into a tall, large (at least 10 quart) pot.
• Add the drained beans, potatoes, rosemary, and bay leaves.
• Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then adjust the heat to a gentle boil; let boil while preparing the sauteed vegetables, about 25 minutes.
• Process the bacon and garlic to a paste in the food processor, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the work bowl.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Scrape in the bacon-garlic paste and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in the carrots and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Pour two ladlefuls of the bean cooking water into the skillet and bring to a boil, then pour the contents of the skillet into the soup pot.
• Season lightly with salt and pepper and bring to a slow boil.
• Cook until the beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour after adding the vegetables from the skillet.
• Ladle about 1/3 of the beans along with enough cooking liquid to cover them, into a baking dish or other shallow container where they will cool quickly.
• Cool the beans until they are no longer steaming; process the beans and liquid in a food processor or blender until creamy; return the pureed beans to the pot.
• Fish out the potatoes onto a plate; mash them coarsely with a fork and return them to the pot.
• Cook 10 minutes to give the flavors a chance to blend.
• Let the soup rest off the heat, covered, 10-15 minutes.
• While the soup is resting, cook the ditalini in salted water until very al dente (cook all the pasta if serving the full recipe of soup, or a proportionate amount if you are setting some of the soup aside for later).
• Drain thoroughly and stir into the soup; let all rest 5 minutes, then serve in warm soup bowls, with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

PASTA WITH BEANS AND SPINACH PARMESAN

Steps:

• Cook pasta until just tender.
• Ladle 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid into bowl and reserve.
• Drain pasta.
• Saute onion& garlic in oil, then add 1 T water to skillet& cook over medium heat until onion is golden and tender, stirring often.
• Add 1 c reserved pasta cooking liquid, spinach& tomatoes to skillet.
• Cover& cook until spinach wilts, about 3 minutes.
• Add cannellini beans& pasta.
• Cover& cook until heated, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in cheese& season with salt& pepper.

PASTA AND WHITE BEANS IN LIGHT TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy, large skillet over medium heat.
• Add garlic and saute until golden, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.
• Add parsley, basil and oregano and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
• Add beans and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Place freshly cooked pasta in bowl.
• Pour sauce over and toss thoroughly.
• Also nice with grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese.

PASTA SALAD WITH GARBANZO BEANS, TOMATOES AND FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Drain again.
• Combine 1/4 cup mint, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and lemon peel in large bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Add pasta, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and feta cheese. Toss to blend well. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared ahead. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours; or cover and refrigerate overnight, them let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)
• Mound salad on large shallow platter. Garnish with additional mint.

PASTA WITH WHITE BEANS, TOMATOES, AND ESCAROLE

Steps:

• In a kettle combine the beans with enough cold water to cover them by 2-inches and simmer them, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until they are tender. Drain the beans in a colander set over a bowl and reserve the cooking liquid. In a large deep skillet cook the onion, the garlic, the sage, the rosemary, the thyme, the red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, add the escarole in 2 batches, and cook each batch, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the escarole is wilted. Add the wine and simmer the mixture for 3 minutes. In a blender or food processor purée 1 1/2 cups of the cooked beans with 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid and add to the skillet with the remaining beans, the tomatoes with the reserved juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until it is thickened slightly, and stir in the parsley. In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the fusilli until it is al dente, drain it well, and in a large bowl toss it with the sauce and the Parmesan.
• To quick-soak dried beans:
• In a colander rinse the beans under cold water and discard any discolored ones. In a kettle combine the beans with enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches, bring the water to a boil, and boil the beans for 2 minutes. Remove the kettle from the heat and let the beans soak, covered, for 1 hour.

PASTA BAKE WITH SAUSAGE, BROCCOLI AND BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-x-13-inch gratin or baking dish.
• In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, broccoli and garlic. Simmer the broccoli and garlic for 5 minutes, until softened. With a slotted spoon remove the broccoli and garlic to a large bowl. Bring the water back to the boil, add the pasta, and cook the pasta for about 2 minutes less than the package directions suggest, about 11 minutes. The pasta should be al dente, a little firm.
• Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add sausage and the garlic cloves from the broccoli bowl, and cook, stirring frequently until meat is fully cooked and no longer pink, about 4 to 5 minutes, if using fresh sausage. (If using fully cooked sausage, cook until surface is golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.) With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to the broccoli, and drain most of the oil from the pan, leaving about 2 tablespoons. Discard the garlic.
• Toss drained pasta with sausage mixture. Add beans, stock, 3/4 cup of grated mozzarella cheese and all of the ricotta. Add remaining salt and pepper. Gently toss. Transfer to prepared gratin or baking dish, top with breadcrumbs, remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, and drizzle with olive oil.
• If making this in advance, allow the mixture to come to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
• Bake for 25 minutes, until heated through and crusty on top.