Butter Bean Cream Pasta (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Pasta

01 - 250 g (9 oz) rigatoni or any other short pasta of your choice
02 - Optional: Lemon wedges to serve on the side

→ Butter Beans

03 - 1 can (400 g / 14 oz) butter beans, rinsed, drained, and dried
04 - 2 tbsp olive oil
05 - 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed into bits
06 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
07 - 2 tsp dried sage leaves

→ Creamy Tuscan Sauce

08 - 1/2 of a red onion, finely chopped
09 - 6 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
10 - A pinch of chili flakes or use more if you'd like
11 - 1 tbsp of an Italian herb mix
12 - 140 g (1/2 cup) sundried tomatoes, chopped up
13 - 2 tbsp tomato concentrate (paste)
14 - 240 ml (1 cup) of veggie stock
15 - 240 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
16 - 100 g (1 cup) grated Parmesan-style cheese
17 - A small handful of fresh chopped basil
18 - Salt and pepper for adjusting taste
19 - 75 g (2 cups) baby spinach, roughly chopped

# Instructions:

01 - Set your oven to 390°F / 200°C to heat it up.
02 - Mix the butter beans with olive oil in a big bowl, ensuring they’re coated. Add fennel seeds, paprika, and sage, and gently mix them around to cover the beans.
03 - Spread the beans in one layer on a baking dish. Pop it into the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. You'll want them to crisp up a bit on the outside while staying soft inside.
04 - While those beans roast, grab a deep pan and heat some olive oil. Toss in the red onion and cook it gently until it turns clear and soft.
05 - Stir in the minced garlic, chili flakes, Italian herbs, sundried tomatoes, and some salt and pepper. If your tomatoes are packed in oil, feel free to chuck in a bit of that oil for extra taste.
06 - Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook it for a couple of minutes to remove any raw edge. Pour in the veggie broth, let it gently bubble with the pan mostly covered, and reduce it a bit—roughly 5 minutes.
07 - With about 10 minutes left for the beans to finish roasting, cook the rigatoni. Heat a huge pot of salted water until it boils, then follow the pasta packet’s timing for al dente.
08 - Once the broth thickens slightly, pour in the cream and tip in the Parmesan. Keep it on low heat until the sauce turns silky smooth and all the cheese has melted in.
09 - Toss in the basil and spinach, letting them wilt slightly. Take it off the heat, lid on, to keep warm for the next bit.
10 - Once the beans come out of the oven, fold them gently into the sauce. Drain and add your cooked pasta, then mix it all up lightly so every bite gets coated in that sauce.
11 - Serve it hot, and if you’re into a little zing, put out lemon wedges for squeezing over.

# Notes:

01 - This plant-based pasta takes inspiration from the classic 'marry me chicken,' making it vegetarian by swapping chicken for butter beans.
02 - Don’t have butter beans? You can use cannellini beans, though they’ll give a different texture.
03 - Want a vegan option? Just go for dairy-free cream and a vegan Parmesan replacement.

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