Pasta With Asparagus Cannellini Beans And Porcini Cream Recipes

CANNELLINI BEANS, SPINACH, TOMATOES AND PASTA

Steps:

• Heat oil in 3-quart pan, add onions and cook over meduim heat till limp, but not browned.
• Add garlic and stir until you can smell it, maybe a minute or two. It's key to prevent it from browning.
• Add drained spinach and combine well with onion and garlic.
• Stir in tomatoes.
• Stir in one can beans with their liquid.
• Liquify the rest of the beans with their liquid in a food processor, or mash with a potato masher in a bowl. Stir them into the rest of the dish.
• Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken, making sure it doesn't stick.
• Add chicken broth a little at a time until you get the thickness you like. It should be thick, but thin enough to coat pasta.
• Stir in oregano and basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil if desired.
• Serve over hot pasta with grated Parmesan cheese. You can add a little heat with some red pepper flakes.

PASTA WITH CREAMY WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season well with salt. Add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes less than indicated in the package directions, about 7 minutes. Drain well reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil, carrot and onion to the skillet. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the pepper flakes and thyme and cook another minute. Stir in the drained beans and chicken broth. Reduce the heat to medium to maintain a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use the back of a spoon to gently mash some of the beans. Set aside.
• Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the pasta and toss to coat well. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and add the 1/2 cup pasta water as needed to maintain a creamy, broth-like sauce. Sprinkle in the spinach and cook until wilted.

PENNE WITH PISTACHIOS, ASPARAGUS, AND CREAM

Steps:

• Cook the asparagus in a stockpot in boiling salted water, uncovered, over medium-high heat until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the asparagus, saving the water so the pasta can be prepared in the same pot.
• Sauté garlic in butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.
• Meanwhile start cooking the pasta, according to package directions.
• Add the asparagus and pepper.
• Increase heat to high and pour in the wine, stirring for about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium.
• Pour the half and half and the cream over asparagus mixture and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Season with salt.
• When pasta is done, drain and return to pot.
• Combine asparagus sauce with pasta, stirring over medium heat.
• Add cheese, stirring until it melts; transfer to platter.
• Garnish with pistachio nuts and serve immediately.

LEMONY PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Grate the zest from the lemon into a small bowl. Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice from half of it on top of the zest. Add the white beans, shallot or onion, grated garlic, red-pepper flakes and a large pinch of salt and toss well. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just shy of al dente, usually 2 minutes less than the package directs.
• Meanwhile, heat a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, then add the asparagus. Sauté until the asparagus is tender and starting to brown at the edges, 7 to 10 minutes. Add a big pinch of salt and the sliced garlic and sauté until the garlic is lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
• Dip a coffee mug or glass measuring cup into the pasta water and scoop out about 1/2 cup of it to use for the sauce. Drain pasta, shaking it well. Add pasta, bean mixture, parsley and Parmesan to sauté pan and cook until the beans are hot and the pasta is al dente. If the mixture looks dry, splash in some (or all) of the reserved pasta water. Squeeze remaining lemon half over pasta, toss and taste. Season with pepper; add more salt, red-pepper flakes and lemon juice, if desired.

PENNE WITH ASPARAGUS AND WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente, adding the asparagus to the pot during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain the pasta and asparagus and run under cold water to cool; drain well.
• Meanwhile, put the onion in a medium bowl and cover with cold water; set aside for 10 minutes.
• Whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and 1/2 cup of the feta in a large bowl until well combined; season with salt and pepper. Add the pasta and asparagus, beans, parsley, dill and remaining 1/2 cup feta. Drain the onions, pat dry and add to the bowl. Toss everything together and season with salt and pepper.