Pantry Pasta with Sausage, Beans, and Greens

Hearty, homey, and salty in all the right ways-the kind of meal you should eat in a bowl.

Hello, and welcome to what will be a three week series on one of my favorite pantry staples: canned beans. Now, beans have a somewhat tarnished reputation; eating them means risking getting a little gassy and they've certainly never made any top 10 sexiest food lists. I'm here to tell you that beans are your new best friend, especially canned beans. We all know that dry beans are better, and we'll get to that eventually, but the canned bean is a lifesaver; cheap, easy, and fast (AND delicious AND nutritious). 

I find beans are a great ingredient for quick improvised meals. They are delicious in a little broth with tomatoes, eaten with rice, or tossed into pasta. When I tell people I put beans in my pasta I am often met with puzzled looks. If it sounds a little funny to you, I urge you to give it a try. It's a great way to get a little extra protein into your carby pasta meal. Originally, I was inspired by recipes like Pasta e Fagiole with Escarole from Bon Appetit and my friend, Michaela, who's assured me she's been eating pasta and beans for years. 

I call this pantry pasta because it works with most any pasta (I prefer a shaped pasta), white beans, and hearty greens you may have already at home. While this recipe uses my favorite combination of rigatoni, cannellini beans, and Swiss chard, you could feel free to use penne, chickpeas, and kale if that's what you have on hand. I make this pasta almost weekly for its versatility, simplicity, and overall deliciousness. Not only does it taste great but it encompasses grains, protein, and veg all in one dish; a fine thing to make on a night when you don't feel like making a feast, but you feel like eating one. 

NOTE: The key to working with canned beans is rinsing them well. This will get rid of that horrible farty smell that wafts out when you open the can and give the beans a cleaner flavor. 

Pantry Pasta with Sausage, Beans, and Greens

Serves 4

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

3/4- 1 lb Rigatoni pasta

4 Italian sausages, casings removed (about .75-1 lb sausage meat)

1 14 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 bunch chard or kale 

1 shallot OR 2 cloves garlic finely minced

2 Tbsp butter

Olive oil for the pan

1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano + more for serving 

Method:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, prepare kale or chard. I like to de-stem kale completely and discard the stems. For chard, first I de-stem it, then finely chop the stems- about the size you would chop an onion to for cooking- a fine dice. 

In a large pan over medium high heat drizzle a teaspoon or so of olive oil and add the sausage meat. Cook, breaking the meat up, till lightly browned and fully cooked through. Remove meat to a bowl and drain excess fat from the pan.

Your water should be about boiling by now. Add pasta to water and cook until very al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, return your pan to medium heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil and minced garlic or shallots. Give them a quick stir around the pan and then add your chard stems (if using), and cook until lightly softened. Add the greens and cook until soft and tender, about 3-5 minutes.  

Return the sausage to the pan and add the cannelini beans, cooking until the meat and beans are completely heated through

Add the pasta, butter, and cooking liquid and cook until the pasta water has thickened slightly into a sauce and the pasta is al dente. Finally, add parmesan and toss to combine. Serve immediately topped  with more parmesan.