Cherry Tomato & White Bean Pasta
Prep time: 5 minutes / Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4.
Quick & easy recipe for those days that you do not have the time or energy to spend too long preparing food. You can make the sauce while the pasta is cooking, and it comes together beautifully. A great way to encourage children to try a different type of bean. The cannellini beans have a mild taste and creamy texture, very child friendly.
INGREDIENTS:
400g linguini
4tbsps olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
500g cherry tomatoes
400g tinned cannellini beans, drained
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
Salt to taste
Black cracked pepper, optional
Grated cheese (like parmesan), optional
METHOD:
1. Fill a large saucepan with water and place over high heat to boil. Once it has started to boil, add your linguini, and cook following the manufacturer’s instructions. Once cooked, drain the water.
2. While you are waiting for the water to boil, add oil to a large pan over low to medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute, until it starts to soften.
3. Add the (whole) cherry tomatoes, salt & black cracked pepper (if using). Cook the tomatoes, stirring every so often until they start to break down. It is important that you keep the heat low enough that the garlic does not burn while cooking the tomatoes.
4. Add the drained cannellini beans and give it all a good stir. Cook for a few minutes to heat up the beans.
5. Add the cooked & drained pasta and the chopped basil. Mix well until is all well combined. Serve with some grated cheese on top if using.
TIPS:
✓ You can choose a different pasta shape. If you know you are going to have leftovers I would use a shorter pasta shape (like penne or fusilli) that is easier to reheat.
✓ You can use dried basil instead of fresh, just add it to the sauce at the same time that you add the cherry tomatoes (step 3). Dried oregano would be lovely too.
✓ Olive oil is wonderful in this recipe but vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oils would work well too.
