Rigatoni with white beans and arugula

Vegetarian, Soy Free

2 Servings, 700 Calories/Serving

30 Minutes

This is Chef Justine’s California-inspired riff on the classic combination of pasta e fagiole, pasta and beans. Lighter than classic Italian versions, which often include sausage or pancetta, hers uses arugula to deliver a spicy bite, plus crumbled ricotta salata for a punchy, salty finish.

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Ingredients

  • ¼ pound rigatoni
  • Fresh thyme
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • 2 leeks
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ teaspoon Aleppo chili powder (optional)
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 cup white beans
  • ¼ cup ricotta salata
  • 2½ ounces baby arugula

Instructions

1

Cook the pasta

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and 2 sprigs of thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water. Discard the thyme sprigs. Cover the rigatoni and keep warm. While the rigatoni cooks, toast the pine nuts.

2

Toast the pine nuts

In a dry frying pan over medium heat, toast the pine nuts, stirring frequently, until fragrant and beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool. Meanwhile:

3

Prep the vegetables

  • Remove the root end and any tough green portion of the leek. Cut the leek in half lengthwise then crosswise into thin half-moons slices. Rinse and pat dry.
  • Coarsely chop the garlic.
  • Pick the thyme leaves from the remaining sprigs and coarsely chop. Discard the stems.
  • Zest and juice the lemon.
  • Rinse the beans.
  • Crumble the ricotta salata.

4

Cook the leeks and white beans

In the same pan used to toast the pine nuts, over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil until hot but not smoking. Add the leeks, garlic, and as much Aleppo pepper as you like. Season with salt. Cook until the leeks are tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the beans and chopped thyme and cook until the beans are warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.

5

Assemble the pasta

Add the drained rigatoni to the beans with ¼ cup reserved cooking water. Add the arugula and toss until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. If the pasta seems dry, add more cooking water. Remove the pasta from the heat. Stir in the lemon zest, juice, and the toasted pine nuts.

6

Serve

Transfer the pasta to individual bowls. Garnish with the crumbled ricotta salata and serve.

Nutrition per serving: Calories: 700, Protein: 23 g, Total Fat: 30 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9.5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7.5 g, Saturated Fat: 8 g, Cholesterol: 25 mg, Carbohydrates: 82 g, Fiber: 14 g, Added Sugar: 0 g, Sodium: 610 mg

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