Easy Pasta with White Beans
Pasta with white beans is a deceptively easy and flavorful meal. It combines the rich flavor of a red sauce with the delicate flavor of white wine for a hearty but light tasting meal.
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Who doesn’t love reading a food blog about someone’s grandma’s recipe and the truly inspired story that inevitably goes along with it?
Yes, this pasta with white beans recipe comes straight from my grandmother’s cookbook.
But that’s all you are going to hear about that.
You wouldn’t think it, but white beans get super creamy when they cook.
It makes the sauce feel like it might have some extra cream or tons of cheese, when it doesn’t.
It’s like a magic trick, and I am all about it.
I’m also all about the fact that this pasta with white beans comes together in about 20 to 25 minutes.
It’s the perfect filling, somewhat healthy meal for any day of the week.
Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies
Pasta with white beans is a pretty simple dish. You will only need a few ingredients:
- Spaghetti – You could use any type of pasta you like, but my family always used spaghetti for this.
- Garlic – Add as much or little as you like. There is almost never a hard rule when it comes to adding garlic.
- Olive oil – You will need this to saute the garlic and beans. It also adds a bit of richness to the sauce.
- White wine – Reduced white wine helps to add some nice flavor to the white beans sauce.
- White beans – We use canned white beans. Sure, you could use dried beans, but you will need to prepare them first, which adds a lot of time to the cooking process.
- Tomato puree – You could also use a can of crushed tomatoes. For a thicker sauce, you could use roma or plum tomatoes that you cut into cubes and cook down. Doing so will add to the cooking time.
- Parmesan cheese – Very few Italian-American dishes don’t use Parmesan cheese, and pasta with white beans is no exception here.
- Seasonings – To finish it off, you’ll want salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.
- Fresh basil – You can add this to the top as a garnish or mix in at the very end to add a bit more flavor.
You don’t need any fancy equipment for this, though I highly recommend getting a garlic press if you don’t already have one.
This simple tool saves a lot of time and effort when adding in garlic.
How to make pasta with white beans
Follow these easy steps to make pasta with white beans:
1. Saute the white beans
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium high heat.
Add the white beans and season with salt and pepper and crushed garlic.
Saute for about 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic starts to become fragrant.
2. Simmer the beans and white wine
Add the white wine and bring to a simmer.
Simmer until the wine reduces down by about half or about 6 minutes.
As the white wine reduces, prepare the pasta according to the package instructions.
3. Finish the sauce
Once the white wine has reduced, add the tomato puree.
Cook until slowly bubbling and then add salt and pepper as needed.
Finish with crushed red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil.
Serve the sauce over the pasta with a side salad, Italian bread, or other sides.
Storing pasta with white beans
Pasta with white beans is best when served freshly made over newly prepared pasta.
If you want to store it, I recommend placing the sauce in an air tight container and storing in the fridge for about 2 to 3 days.
You could also freeze the sauce for up to 6 months. Before reheating, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge.
To reheat, you can place a serving in the microwave and heat for a few seconds until warmed through.
You could also place the sauce in sauce pan and reheat over low to medium heat, stirring occassionally, until warmed through.
Serve with freshly maded pasta, Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure the white wine reduces about in half. Too little and it will still have a lot of alcohol in it. Too much and the sauce will be a lot thicker with less liquid.
- Add as much garlic as you like to the white bean sauce. About 3 to 4 cloves is a good starting point. Adding less will slightly reduce the garlic flavor while adding more will increase it.
- Use any kind of pasta you like for white bean sauce. We tend to use spaghetti, linguine, or other longer noodles, but just about any pasta type will work just fine.
- If possible, store leftover white bean sauce and pasta seperately. This will help prevent the pasta from absorbing too much of the liquid as it sits.
Other Italian inspired recipes to try
Looking for other Italian-American recipes?
Try these:
- Authentic Tomato Sauce
- Pesto Sauce
- Beef Ragu
- Gluten Free Lasagna
- Pumpkin Penne with Peas, Parmesan, and Sage
- Brown Butter Lobster Pasta
- Cheesy Chicken Ziti Skillet
- Quick and Easy Bruschetta Pasta
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Ingredients
- 1 package of spaghetti
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup of white wine
- 2 cans of white beans (about 4 cups of beans, drained)
- 29 ounces of tomato puree
- 1/4 cups Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium to medium high heat. Add the white beans and season with salt and pepper and crushed garlic.
- Saute for about 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the wine reduces down by half, approximately 6 minutes.
- As the white wine reduces, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Once the wine reduces, add tomato puree and cook until it starts to slowly bubble.
- Add additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Finish with crushed red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil.
- Serve the white beans sauce over pasta.
I love the use of white beans in this dish and the flavors sound wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
I am so making this dish for our next women conference. Replaces the meat but still get protein. Excellent.
This recipe looks amazing. I’m always looking for a good substitute for beef. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you!
This looks delicious! I never would’ve thought to add white beans to my pasta, but I’m gonna have to try this out!
x Kate
http://www.thegoldsister.com
I haven’t tried beans with pasta but I’m really liking this as a meat free option! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This sounds yummy. I try to eat meatless a few nights a week and the beans sound like the perfect substitute!
This is a perfect meatless Monday option! Thanks for sharing!
My daughter loves pasta, but I am always looking to add a little something extra. She is a big fan of beans, so this is perfect! It looks delicious!
What a delicious meal! Looks so hearty and filling!
THis looks so good! I will totally have to try it. I love using white beans in Italian cooking.
This looks really yummy. I have never had beans with pasta but I’m willing to give it a shot.
Sounds like a great vegetarian meal, definitely will try this idea!
this looks great – havent really heard of it but i think i would love it!
I would have never thought to put white beans in spaghetti sauce but it looks so yummy!! Love the variety!
I’ve actually never heard of this, but I love pasta and I love white beans, so it looks like something I need to try!!
I like how you used beans for protein. Sounds so satisfying!
This pasta dish looks amazing! I’m trying to reduce the amount of meat in my diet, so I’m always looking for new meatless recipes. I will definitely be making this soon!
Oooh this looks absolutely delicious! What a great meatless meal- I’ll be trying this one soon. Thank you!
Mmmm this looks so delicious! I’m definitely going to have to save the recipe!
Wow looks yummy and it is healthier, too! 🙂
This looks so delicious I cannot wait to try it.
Mmm…always looking for meat-free options and this looks fab!!
This dish looks so tasty!