kale and white bean one pot pasta

have you ever read a user review/comment on a recipe where the reviewer changed all of the key ingredients/aspects of a recipe in ways that would clearly impact the final product, and then proceeds to pan the recipe for not being good?

here, i’ll give you an example:  white russians are typically cream (light or heavy) + vodka + kahlua.  well, the other night my husband asked if we had any cream because he wanted to make a white russian.  i said yes.  what i should have said was, “well, we have a carton marked ‘heavy cream’ in the fridge but i opened it awhile ago so i don’t know what state it’s in.”  i believe “horse barn” was the flavor my husband used to describe the cream when he tasted it… after he’d already mixed the vodka and kahlua.

so, “we” (this was mostly my terrible idea) decided to try mixing skim milk, almond milk, and redi whip as a stand-in for cream (there is no excuse for this folly).  unsurprisingly, his “white russian” was not any good.  out of respect for my fellow recipe writers, we did *not* then hunt down a white russian recipe online and post about how terrible it was when made with skim milk, almond milk, and redi whip in place of cream.

(i should pause here and state that i love it when you comment on my recipes and say things like, “i added honey to the sriracha sauce and it was delicious” or “i added chicken sausage to this soup for even more protein” – those are helpful comments that encourage all of us try yummy new combinations!  i also love comments that say “i tried increasing the whole wheat flour from one third to one half (by weight) and it just didn’t work” – that helps all of us learn.  what i’m talking about are the skim milk + almond milk + redi whip does not equal heavy cream comments.  because, obviously.)

(here’s the part where this long preamble becomes relevant:) so, all of that to say, recently i took a recipe that i really like, un-baked ziti, aaaaand changed all of the ingredients. and now we have kale and white bean one pot pasta.  and it turned out to be delicious!

the un-baked ziti is delicious.  and also?  so.  full.  of.  cheese.  so i took out all of the cheese (and sausage) and replaced it with kale and white beans!  some of you are laughing right now, but it’s really good.  i promise.  (plus, you can always add some sliced and sautéed garlic chicken sausage…)

i really liked the ease and speed of the whole one pot situation, i just don’t always want to eat 3 pounds of cheese for dinner (i didn’t say never, i just said not always).  hence pulling a recipe-commenter on the recipe and changing all the things to make kale and white bean one pot pasta.  this new version is super delicious too, and now we have one more way to get dinner on the table with just one dirty pan.

kale and white bean one pot pasta

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
• crushed red pepper, to taste
• (2) 28 oz. (794 g. each) cans of whole, peeled tomatoes with their juices, see notes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ cup fresh basil, torn into small pieces
• 5 oz. (142 g.) kale, thick stems removed, roughly chopped
• (2) 15.5 oz. (439 g. each) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 12 oz. (340 g.) box of no-boil penne (barilla pronto)
• pecorino romano or parmesan, for serving, optional

Instructions

1. in a large skillet with high sides and a lid, heat the oil over medium-low heat then add the onion. stir occasionally until the onion is translucent and just beginning to turn golden brown, about 5 – 6 minutes.
2. add the garlic and crushed red pepper and stir constantly for 30 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant but not yet starting to brown.
3. add the tomatoes and their juice, the oregano, half of the basil, the kale, and the beans. use a large spoon and clean kitchen scissors to cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. turn the heat up to medium then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. add the no-boil penne to the sauce and stir until the pasta is submerged in the sauce. it’s ok if a few little pasta tips are poking out of the sauce but if it’s more than that, add a little bit of water and stir to get the pasta submerged. cover the pan and let the pasta and sauce simmer for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through (be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan). after 10 minutes, check the pasta for doneness.
5. sprinkle the torn basil over the top and serve, passing cheese, if desired.

Notes

if your store carries them, i love tuttorosso tomatoes. if not, no worries. aaaand if you happen to be sleepwalking at the grocery store and buy 2 cans of crushed tomatoes instead of whole, peeled tomatoes, add 28 oz. (1 can full) of water and go with it. you may need to add 5 – 6 minutes to the pasta cook time, but definitely check after 10 minutes and evaluate how the pasta is doing.

if you’re not trying to keep the recipe vegetarian, sliced and sautéed garlic chicken sausage is a nice addition.

this recipe serves 8, so you may wish to scale it down if you’re not feeding a crowd. as a leftover enthusiast, i think the leftovers are fine but they’re not my favorite, since the pasta keeps getting softer as it sits in the fridge.

adapted from my un-baked ziti.

Category dairy free dinner fall vegan vegetarian winter

Tags

basil,

canned tomatoes,

cannellini beans,

dairy free,

easy,

fall,

garlic,

healthy,

italian,

kale,

one pan,

onion,

pasta,

pecorino romano,

vegan,

vegetarian,

winter

March 23, 2017

by tasty seasons

© 2024 copyright tasty seasons

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