Pasta With White Beans And Fresh Herbs Food

PASTA WITH CREAMY WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season well with salt. Add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes less than indicated in the package directions, about 7 minutes. Drain well reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil, carrot and onion to the skillet. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the pepper flakes and thyme and cook another minute. Stir in the drained beans and chicken broth. Reduce the heat to medium to maintain a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use the back of a spoon to gently mash some of the beans. Set aside.
• Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the pasta and toss to coat well. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and add the 1/2 cup pasta water as needed to maintain a creamy, broth-like sauce. Sprinkle in the spinach and cook until wilted.

GREEK PASTA WITH TOMATOES AND WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
• Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and beans in a large non-stick skillet. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
• Add spinach to the sauce; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly.
• Serve sauce over pasta, and sprinkle with feta.

FIRE AND ICE PASTA WITH FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine olive oil, sun dried tomatoes, olives, basil, tomatoes, chives, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Marinate for 3 hours.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain.
• Pour sauce over hot pasta, and toss lightly. Sprinkle with feta cheese, if desired.

PASTA WITH WHITE BEANS AND FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Drain tomatoes, reserving 1/4 cup liquid.
• Saute onion and next 5 ingredients in hot oil in a large skillet until onion is tender.
• Add tomatoes, reserved liquid, salt, pepper, and sugar.
• Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 min.
• Stir in beans; recover and simmer another 10 min.
• Toss cooked macaroni with butter:; top with bean mixture and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
• Serve immediately with crusty French bread. Garnish as desired, I use fresh herbs.

MEDITERRANEAN WHITE BEAN SPREAD WITH FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Place beans, garlic, lime juice, and olive oil in food processor or mini-chopper; process until smooth.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until well mixed and the herbs are chopped as coarsely or finely as you like (I like them almost liquified).
• Refrigerate for at least a few hours so the flavors blend (overnight is even better).

SIZZLING HERB PASTA WITH WHITE BEANS AND CRISP SMOKED BACON

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil; stir in the beans and set aside.
• In a medium-sized heavy skillet, cook the bacon pieces over low to medium-low heat, turning as needed to achieve uniform crispness. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel to drain. Pour off the bacon drippings, reserving 1/4 cup in the skillet.
• Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to package directions. (Serving hint: As the pasta water heats, place your serving bowl or platter over the pot to heat it.) Drain well, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
• Transfer the pasta to the warmed serving bowl, add the beans with their marinade and the bacon pieces and toss lightly.
• In the skillet used to the cook the bacon, heat the reserved bacon drippings over medium-high heat until hot. (To test, add an herb leaf to the hot drippings. When it sizzles, the temperature is right) Add the parsley, sage and rosemary to the hot drippings and saute quickly, 10 to 15 seconds. Drizzle and scrape the bacon drippings and herbs onto the pasta mixture and toss to blend. For a moister coating, add a little of the reserved cooking water. Serve immediately with the salt, pepper and grated romano.