There’s real magic in turning a handful of basic household ingredients into a heart-warming meal. This creamy rigatoni with cannellini beans is a perfect example of this. It’s the perfect choice for a cozy mid-week family dinner when time is tight, while at the same time elegant and delicious enough to serve on a quiet, romantic evening at home.
It’s completely guilt-free and surprisingly healthy. You won’t find a single drop of heavy cream or butter in this pan. Instead, he relies on the natural starch found in beans, a little pasta cooking water, and some patience to create a rich, smooth sauce that perfectly coats each pasta. Fresh lemon and herbs add great flavour. Grab your fork because you’ll want to eat it right away.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Secretly healthy: It gets its creamy texture from pureed beans only, instead of fatty dairy products.
- Suitable for the kitchen: It depends entirely on simple ingredients that you often have in your kitchen.
- Quick preparation: The entire dish is prepared at the same time as the water is boiled and the pasta is cooked.
- Budget-friendly: Beans and pasta make this dish a budget-friendly way to feed a large number of people without sacrificing taste.
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 (10 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1 sprig rosemary, cut in half
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Place a large pot of well-salted water on the stove to boil. Add the rigatoni pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than stated on the package.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a quarter cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and sauté until it turns light golden and fragrant.
- Add the washed white beans, rosemary sprig, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pan. Reduce the heat and let it cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Use a wooden spoon to mash about half of the beans into the pan. This is the secret step that gives our sauce its naturally creamy texture.
- Pour chicken broth into the pan. Allow the mixture to come to a rapid boil, then immediately reduce the heat and leave it to simmer.
- Before draining the pasta, remove 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the rigatoni pasta and add it directly to the hot pan. Pour in about half a cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and stir the ingredients well for two minutes.
- Continue stirring, adding a few splashes of the remaining pasta cooking water as needed, until the sauce is glossy and smooth and coats the pasta beautifully.
- Remove and discard the rosemary sprig.
- Add fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped parsley, and an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Remove the pan from the heat and gently stir it with the Parmesan cheese.
Bring the pan directly to the table and serve hot with a little grated cheese on top. Simple food is always better.