A particularly easygoing recipe – use up whatever greens you like or have to hand. The beans add a good hit of fibre, protein and a lovely creamy texture, but also a stability that makes this sauce completely fail-safe.

The beans: I like canned or jarred cannellini beans here. Sub in whatever cooked white bean you prefer, but make sure they are very soft. Canned butter beans, for example, can be too firm or chalky to blend smoothly.

The greens: This is such a good place to use up odds and ends of greens, or frozen veggies when the fridge is looking bare. But it’s also such a delicious, quick and nourishing bowl that it’s well worth buying ingredients in for. I like to use broccoli, kale, spinach or chard. 

The pasta: This recipe calls for orecchiette – a particularly pleasing shape that clings onto sauce brilliantly and one that makes a traditional bedfellow with dark leafy greens. But switch the pasta up to whatever you like – the sauce is thick and stable, so could work with any shape. Fat ribbons of pappardelle would be excellent, or use a wholemeal or chickpea variety for extra fibre. 

Ingredients

Makes 3 portions
250g dried orecchiette pasta
400g tin cannellini beans, drained
250g mixed chopped greens (I’ve used broccoli and kale)
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
Parmesan to serve (optional)

Recipe

1. Bring 2 large pans of salted water to a rolling boil
2. Cook the pasta to al dente, then drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water
3. Cook the greens and garlic until completely tender, then drain
4. Add the beans, drained greens and garlic to a food processor. Blend, adding the reserved pasta water as necessary to get it smooth
5. Stir together the pasta and sauce over a low heat. Add pasta water as needed to form a very silky, loose sauce. Squeeze in lemon and stir in salt to taste. Drizzle generously with olive oil and serve with parmesan, if you like

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