Tuscan Pasta and Beans

This rustic-looking pasta and beans dish is made with protein-rich and filling white beans, healthy fats, crunchy vegetables, and a heavenly Basil Tomato sauce that brings a comforting taste of Italy to your dinner table!

Don’t you love making wholesome meals that are deliciously satisfying but are also put together in no time? Well, this recipe is for you.

It is easy to make, and you can have this ready in less than 30 minutes.

Healthy Pasta Recipe

This Tuscan Pasta and Beans recipe is a perfectly balanced weeknight meal with a lot of simple and fresh ingredients:

• The cannellini beans add healthy proteins.
• Extra virgin olive oil coats it with healthy fats and gives you that wonderful aroma of Italian pasta.
• Vegetables such as white onions and carrots complement this dish with a lovely natural sweet flavor and a slightly crunchy texture!
• But it is not just the hearty beans, fresh vegetables, or even the added sage herbs. Nope, it is the Basil Tomato sauce!

And what is not to love about using a great ready-made pasta sauce to make a hearty meal on busy weekdays?

 

I usually plan ahead of time about what to make during the week and go well-prepared to the supermarket with notes in hand and dinners all planned out.

Sometimes this doesn’t happen. You know, those weeks when things fall behind, and you end up in the store unprepared.

You end up wandering around up and down the aisles, trying to figure out what to make. That’s what happened to me this week.

I was picking up goodies here and there. Then I turn the corner, and I am faced with a bunch of beautiful jars of premade pasta sauces.

They reminded me of a delicious white bean and pasta dish I enjoyed in an Italian restaurant in Southern California. My memory glommed onto the flavors and I was sold.

Three sauces grabbed my attention:

• The basil & tomato flavored sauce
• The tomatoes and Vidalia onion sauce
• and then there was a spicy Arrabbiata pasta sauce

For this Tuscan inspired recipe, I chose the first one, basil and tomato.

Well, I’ll admit I bought all three of the pasta sauces. I couldn’t resist because premade spaghetti sauces can make dinner so much easier when you don’t have anything pre-planned or have one of those busy days!

The sauce that I chose for this dish only had a few ingredients but tastes homemade. It coats the linguini and vegetables with a creamy, sweet flavor and makes this Tuscan Pasta and Beans incredibly satisfying!

Above are a few photos so that you have a visual for the beginning of this healthy pasta meal.

First is a pot starting to boil the small carrot cubes, then sauteing the onions, and next is adding some of the ‘carrot water’ to the sauce.

A special note on the recipe:

You’ll notice that in the instructions, I add to the sauce ¼ cup of water in which the carrots were cooked. This is to make sure that the overall dish does not become too dry when adding the white beans and the linguini. It also adds more flavor to the sauce!

Also, a really good toasted garlic bread would be perfect with this pasta meal, and using a few slices of this Best Homemade Vegan Bread would be ideal.

You are Going to Love Tuscan Pasta and Beans

• It is so easy to make
• It is a beautiful and wholesome family meal with fresh ingredients
• The premade spaghetti sauce is rich, creamy, and offers beautiful Italian flavors as if it were made from scratch.
• The leftovers are even better!

Add the carrots, beans, herbs, and spices to your prepared sauce for a beautiful mix.

Next, stir and heat through, and then remove half of the sauce from the skillet and set aside.

Add the cooked linguine and stir through the sauce in the skillet. Serve on plates or in pasta bowls with the remaining sauce on the side.

A true Tuscan classic.

All you have to do is make it for dinner tonight!