Rigatoni with white beans and wild arugula

Vegetarian

2 Servings, 700 Calories/Serving

25 Minutes

This is Chef Justine’s California-inspired riff on the classic combination of pasta and beans. It’s lighter than the classic Italian versions, which often include sausage or pancetta. Here she uses wild arugula to deliver a spicy bite and crumbles in some ricotta salata for a punchy, salty finish.

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Ingredients

  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Rigatoni
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • 2 leeks
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup ricotta salata
  • 1 cup white beans
  • drained and rinsed
  • ½ teaspoon Aleppo chili powder
  • 4 cups wild arugula

Instructions

1

Cook the pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add two sprigs of fresh thyme and the rigatoni and cook until tender, but firm to bite, about 10 minutes.
While the pasta cooks, toast the nuts and prep the rest of the ingredients.

2

Toast the pine nuts

In a frying pan over medium heat, toast the pine nuts over until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a small bowl to cool.

3

Prep the vegetables

  • Remove the root end and tough green portion of the leek. Cut the leek in half lengthwise and then into thin half-moon slices. Rinse and pat dry.
  • Chop the garlic.
  • Chop the remaining thyme leaves.
  • Zest and juice the lemon.
  • Crumble the ricotta salata.
  • Rinse the beans.

4

Assemble the pasta

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Discard the thyme. Add the pasta to the beans with ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water. Add the arugula and toss until wilted, about 2 minutes. If the pasta seems dry, add more of the reserved cooking water. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest, juice and the toasted pine nuts.

5

Serve

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

Nutrition per serving: Calories: 700, Protein: 24 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: 15 g, Added Sugar: 0 g, Sodium: 610 mg

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