30-Minute Italian Country Pasta Recipe With White Beans, Lemon & Arugula by Jan Mostrom

This hearty vegetarian pasta recipe is filling enough for lunch or dinner. The quick and easy Italian dinner has a delicious lemony flavor that combines nicely with the white beans and arugula.

This downhome pasta recipe doesn't require too many ingredients. Here is what you need to gather to make this meal for your family tonight: pasta, olive oil, tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes, shallots, garlic, a lemon for zesting, canned white beans, arugula and Parmesan cheese. There's a little chopping and grating involved for prep, but it's easy! The pasta cooks up in about 20 minutes.

Serve this fresh and tasty low-sodium pasta and beans recipe for lunch or dinner with your favorite side dishes. We like to serve it with hot bread (try my four-ingredient no-knead French bread recipe) and a salad.

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Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound short pasta, such as shells or elbows
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 - 2 cups diced cherry tomatoes (or whatever tomatoes you have on hand)
• crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) white beans, rinsed and drained
• 6 ounces arugula 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for servings

Helpful Products

• Soup Pot
• Cutting Board
• Chef Knife
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Salt and Pepper
• Can Opener
• Mixing Bowl
• Grater
• Airtight Containers
• Pasta Pot
• Pasta Bowls
• Pepper Grinder
• Dutch Oven

Recipe Notes

• You can use 2 cups of chopped fresh parsley or 6 ounces of fresh, de-stemmed spinach instead of the arugula.

• Any short pasta will work for this recipe. Fusilli, penne, rigatoni or bowties are other good options.

Here's how to make it: 

1. Cook pasta according to package direction in salted water.
2. While the pasta cooks, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, a pinch of salt, crushed red pepper flakes and tomatoes in a bowl. Gently toss and set to the side.
3. In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat 1/2 cup of olive oil on medium. When the oil has heated add the shallots and sauté until they are soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add a small pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and salt, lemon zest, beans and half of the arugula. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir and mash some of the beans until the mixture is thickened a bit, about 12 to 15 minutes. Taste to see if more salt, pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, if needed.
4. When your pasta is ready, drain, saving 1 cup of the pasta water. Add pasta to the bean mixture with the remaining arugula, the Parmesan, juice from half of the lemon and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Stir until all the ingredients are combined. Add some additional pasta water until the beans are in a sauce. Add the tomatoes and marinade. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and lemon juice, if desired.
5. Serve topped with more Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories: 852

Total Fat: 22g

Saturated Fat: 3.7g

Cholesterol: 6mg

Sodium: 137mg

Total Carbohydrate: 135.2g

Dietary Fiber: 12.7g

Total Sugars: 8.8g

Protein: 29.3g

Vitamin D: 0mcg

Calcium: 308mg

Iron: 8mg

Potassium: 705mg

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by VeryWellFit. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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