Pasta with White Beans, Spinach and Basil
A healthy and homemade dish that comes together in a hurry
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pasta of your choice Gluten-free or regular
- 3 Tbs Butter Vegan or Cow's Milk
- 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
- 3/4 ctnr Organic Fresh Spinach I use about 3/4 of the large container
- 4 cloves Garlic Chopped
- 2 cans Organic Cannellini beans Rinsed and Drained
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg Freshly ground
- 2 tsp Course Ground Pepper
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese Vegan or cow's milk
- salt For pasta water and to taste
- 1 handful Fresh Basil Cut in ribbons
Instructions
- Add pasta to salted, boiling water and cook until al dente. Note: you will remove a large ladle of the pasta water at the end of the cooking time.
- Place a large skillet with butter, 3 tablespoon of your choice of oil, and the pepper over low heat. Keep on low heat while pasta cooks.
- Once pasta is done, remove one laddle of the cooking water into a bowl and set aside. Drain pasta and quickly add back to pot to retain heat. (do not set back on the burner)
- Turn the heat up on the skillet with the butter and oil to medium high and add garlic and cook for one minute. Add the fresh spinach, season with salt and saute until spinach is cooked.
- Add 1/2 of the reserved pasta water to skillet and add beans. Stir well and let simmer on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add pasta, Parmesan cheese and remaining pasta water to the skillet. Stir until well combined and cheese melts.
- Serve with Basil Ribbons and grated Parmesan Cheese (optional) sprinkled on top.
Notes
A word about nutmeg. You can purchase nutmeg already ground but it is so much better freshly ground. I have a Nutmeg Grinder that I love and use only for nutmeg. If using a spice grinder, you must be sure that it can be used on hard shells and wash thoroughly after each use or you risk the nutmeg picking up traces of the previous spice.