Cheesy Pasta With Tomato Butter Bean Sauce

⏱ 75 mins 🍽 3-4 serving(s) 🌶 italian 🏷 Beans

This hearty Italian pasta dish combines a robust sauce of stewed tomatoes and butter beans with sautéed mushrooms and penne. The sauce is enriched with aromatic herbs and a touch of bean paste for thickness, then served over a cheesy, garlicky pasta mixture. It's a satisfying, flavourful meal that brings together beans, vegetables, and cheese in one comforting bowl. The recipe yields enough for three to four people and takes about 75 minutes to prepare from start to finish.

Cheesy Pasta With Tomato Butter Bean Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup chopped onions or 1/2 cup shallot
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 14 ounces stewed tomatoes
  • 15 ounces butter beans (divided)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup chopped fennel bulb
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/8-1/4 cup fresh parsley
  • 1 dash red pepper flakes
  • 1/2-3/4 cup water
  • 2 ounces penne pasta
  • 20 -25 sliced brown button mushrooms
  • 1 sprig fresh parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2-3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons milk

Method

  1. Begin by caramelising the onions or shallots along with the garlic in a pan with a little oil.
  2. While they cook, process some of the butter beans in a food processor or mash them with a knife to create roughly 1/2 cup of bean paste, leaving the rest whole.
  3. Stir the bean paste, stewed tomatoes, chopped fennel, and your preferred amount of the remaining whole butter beans into the pan with the caramelised onions.
  4. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, basil, oregano, fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, and add the water.
  5. Allow the sauce to simmer until it reaches your preferred consistency, which should take around 20 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, cook the penne pasta in a separate pot of salted boiling water.
  7. In another saucepan, sauté the sliced brown button mushrooms.
  8. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add it to the pan with the mushrooms along with the milk, a pinch of pepper, garlic powder, and the grated Parmesan cheese.
  9. Heat everything together, stirring until the cheese has fully melted.
  10. To serve, portion the cheesy pasta mixture into bowls and top generously with the prepared tomato and butter bean sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium1348000 mg

Recipe details

CategoryBeans
Cuisineitalian
AuthorSimonich