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Easy Weeknight White Bean Pasta with Asparagus and Sun Dried Tomatoes

May 28, 2020 by Lauren Waterman Leave a Comment

This pasta uses a few pantry staples as the base, and interchangeable veggies, making it the perfect quick and satisfying pasta bowl dinner for a lazy weeknight.


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I try to keep a quart or two of cooked vegan protein around at all times to make weeknight dinners as easy as I possibly can. Whether that’s seitan (get recipe intructions for homemade seitan here), lentils, chickpeas, or black beans, cooking one big batch of something in the slow cooker and keeping it in the fridge for a few days makes meal planning way easier. Plus mixing white beans into a pasta sauce is the best trick ever, because it brings a boatload of protein without you having to cook separate component like tofu. This is even a great recipe for picky eaters, since it delivers like a creamy pasta sauce. What’s not to love?

For this recipe, I used white beans, but you can sub in chickpeas or even hummus if you like. Hummus is actually the basis to some of my favorite pasta sauces ever. It’s super creamy and adds a lot of hidden protein.

Method:

First, make sure you have beans ready. You can use the canned kind, or you can follow my steps outlined here, which describe a few simple ways to ensure you get the perfect cook on your white beans.

Boil your pasta in salted water according to package directions. I used linguine, but you could prep this with shells, penne, whatever floats your boat. As this is boiling, start sauteing onions and garlic cloves in a giant pot. Pour in two tablespoons of olive oil and cook on medium heat, stirring regularly, so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Here I’d like to offer a pro tip for increasing flavor without having to do ANY additional work impacting the actual preparation time of your meal. Jazz up your olive oil! This is a trick as old as time and makes a huge impact on the flavors you’ll be able to create.

I keep three medium size cruets on my counter, each infused with a different herb or spice to help impart a little extra flavor. In the first, I keep 4-5 raw garlic cloves, a teaspoon of onion flakes, a few peppercorns, and about a teaspoon of dried parsley. This is my go to olive oil for almost any dinner I’m making. Even if I use one of the other oils, I wind up also throwing a splash of this one in as well because who doesn’t love garlic in everything? In the second, I just keep one big dried arbol chili, which makes the oil surprisingly spicy and is amazing for Mexican or Caribbean dishes. In the last, I keep a few sprigs of dried rosemary and thyme for an earthy, herby flavor. It takes a few days for the flavors to come through in the oils, so just keep refilling these as they get halfway empty and keep on your counter. Thank me later.


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Cook onions and garlic for about 5-8 minutes on medium heat (until they start to brown around the edges) before adding other veggies. Cut the white bottoms off of asparagus, chop into thirds roughly, or smaller if you prefer, and add to the pan.

At this point, add cooked white beans and halved artichokes to the pan as well. I used artichokes marinated in oil, and didn’t drain them since the oil marinade has so much flavor from the spices and herbs. You can rinse and drain, use frozen, or use artichokes packed in water. It doesn’t really matter.

Be sure to keep stirring your veggies so nothing burns As you stir, some of the white beans will be crushed, which forms the basis of the creamy sauce. Dice sun dried tomatoes finely, and pop into the pot. If using wild mushrooms, which take less time to cook, toss in at this point. They’re pretty delicate, so they only need a few minutes of heat. If using baby cremini mushrooms or sliced shitake, add in when you begin to cook the onions and garlic so they can get a great brown color on them as well. 

Mix in your spices at this point. Let cook for another 5-8 minutes until all veggies are softened. When pasta is one minute away from being finished boiling, pour out 3/4 of the water down the sink, and save the rest.  Dump the pasta, along with other 1/4 of the starchy water into the pot with veggies and beans, and stir, allowing the pasta to continue cooking. 

At this point, judge your pasta sauce. If the beans are getting a smidge over cooked or dried out, you can add in 1/4 cup nondairy milk to help create a creamier base, or even toss in 1-2 tablespoons of vegan butter. If cooking in a cast iron or oven safe pan, you can sprinkle with vegan cheese and breadcrumbs and bake for 5 minutes or so to create a white bean pasta casserole type of meal that I think everyone would find quite cozy and satisfying.

I sprinkled red pepper flakes and vegan Parmesan cheese over top of mine and served.

Substitutions:

  • You can swap in chickpeas in place of white beans if you’d like.

  • Any vegetable would be amazing in this dish if you don’t have or don’t like asparagus. Broccoli, zucchini, kale, whatever you’ve got, toss it in!

  • Save on pasta calories by swapping in a protein rich noodle in place of linguine. Try chickpea fettuccine or mung bean linguine, a few of my favorites.

  • You can add 1-2 tbsp vegan butter to this dish when adding the pasta to the veggie pot for a richer flavor.

  • If pasta seems too dry, you may add in 1/4 cup of nondairy milk, or retain more of the starchy pasta water.

  • If cooking in a cast iron skillet, you can top with bread crumbs and vegan cheese, and finish in the oven for a crispy casserole texture – highly recommended, definitely do this.

Applications

  • Great for meal prep, make a double batch and keep in the fridge in individual portions to dive into throughout the work week.

  • This white bean pasta would even be amazing served cold as a pasta salad at picnics and parties. Maybe sub in shells or macaroni noodles so it’s more bite size, but I think it would be a hit!

Easy Weeknight White Bean Pasta

Yield: 4

Author: Lauren Waterman, Chickpea & Herb
Prep time: 5 MCook time: 15 MTotal time: 20 M

Ingredients:

  • 6-7 cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup red onion, sliced
  • 2 cups asparagus
  • 1 cup cooked white beans
  • 1 cup artichokes, halved
  • 3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced finely
  • 1 1/2 cups wild mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 3/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 4 servings of pasta, boiled according to package directions

Instructions:

  1. Begin boiling pasta according to package directions.
  2. Dice garlic cloves finely and slice red onion. Add to a frying pan or cast iron skillet with olive oil, and cook for about 5-8 minutes on medium heat (until they start to brown around the edges) before adding other veggies.
  3. Cut the white bottoms off of asparagus, and add to the pan.
  4. At this point, add cooked white beans and halved artichokes to the pan as well. As you stir, some of the white beans will be crushed, which forms the basis of the creamy sauce.
  5. Dice sun dried tomatoes finely, and add in. If using wild mushrooms, which take less time to cook, toss in at this point. If using baby cremini mushrooms, add in when you begin to cook the onions and garlic so they can get a great brown color on them as well. 
  6. Mix in your spices at this point. Let cook for another 5-8 minutes until all veggies are softened.
  7. When pasta is one minute away from being finished boiling, pour out 3/4 of the water.  Dump the pasta, along with other 1/4 of the starchy water into the pot with veggies and beans, and stir, allowing the pasta to continue cooking. 

Notes:

You can add 1-2 tbsp vegan butter to this dish when adding the pasta for a richer flavor.

If pasta seems too dry, you may add in 1/4 cup of nondairy milk.

If cooking in a cast iron skillet, you can top with bread crumbs and vegan cheese, and finish in the oven for a crispy casserole texture.

Did you make this recipe?
Tag @chickpea_and_herb #recipea
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As always, if you make this recipe, tag me on Facebook or Instagram, and let me know how it goes! You can also check out my Pinterest page for more easy weeknight dinner inspiration! I have a ton of vegan meals under 30 minutes saved if you’re looking for a fast way to feed the family or make a bunch of food to get you through the week as part of meal prep plan.

If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy some of my other favorite quick and easy weeknight dinner recipes:

  • Easy Family Style Penne Marinara with Veggies and Chickpeas

  • Black Bean Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl with Caramelized Onion Tahini Dressing

  • Thai Chop Detox Salad

Vegan brown butter sage garlic cream fusilli pasta || I’ve been seeing a lot of pasta Sundays going around the Internet lately, so I decided to join in! we spent the day working on house projects and gardening, then finished with some yummy food on the grill, which I will add to my stories now. I’m going to leave you with this 🔥 pasta from earlier in the week that was a total hit in my house. 
Here is an easy dinner that is a sure fire way to get in all of your veggies, and takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. I’ve included the recipe below in case you want to hit save so you have it on hand for later.
1/2 cup onion, diced
6 to 10 clothes of garlic, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil (read below for oil free option)
1 tbsp dried sage
2 tablespoons vegan butter (I used @earthbalance)
1/2 cup red bell peppers, diced finally
3/4 cup baby button mushrooms, have
1/2 cup broccoli, diced finally
1 cup kale, shredded
1/4 cup frozen peas 
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced finally
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup nutritional yeast or vegan mozzarella
🔷 Begin boiling water in large pot. Be sure to add a pinch of salt to the water- this is for flavor and also keeps your pasta from sticking together.
🔷Once water reaches a boil, add pasta. Dice onions, garlic, and sauté with sage over medium heat in a large pan for 5 minutes. If you are oil free, you can sauté in veggie stock or aquafaba. 🔷 Add in butter at this stage, and diced mushrooms and peppers.
🔷 Add and sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, kale, and peas, as well as spices.
🔷When pasta is finished cooking, drain all of the water except for 1/2 cup.
🔷Add 1/2 cup starchy water along with pasta to the large pan with veggies in it. 🔷Add in nutritional yeast or mozzarella at this point and stir until the sauce thickens. 🔷 I topped mine with hot pepper flakes and parsley, but you can also top with more cheese, pinenuts, fresh tomatoes, etc. We also used beyond sausage or protein, but this pasta would be awesome with white beans, chickpeas, or tempeh. Simply cook them in the pot along with all of the veggies to absorb that flavor. Let me know if you try this!

Homemade veggie burgers with red pepper jam and crispy Brussels sprouts || Who doesn’t love a black bean sweet potato burger? These had a great texture and held together perfectly on the grill. I topped them with vegan feta, red onions, collard greens, vegan mayo, and a red pepper jam that I made by boiling down some older looking red peppers, adding a pinch of sugar and @kartago_harissa. ✨I am including the recipe for the burgers below in case anybody would like to click save to have on hand for later.
▫️2 cups roasted sweet potatoes
▫️1 1/4 cup cooked rice
▫️1/2 cup black beans, drained
▫️1 cup roasted cauliflower
▫️1 cup roasted eggplant
▫️1/2 cup peas
▫️1/2 cups corn kernels
▫️1 cup walnuts
▫️1 teaspoon liquid aminos or soy sauce
▫️3/4 teaspoon salt
▫️1/3 teaspoon pepper
▫️1 teaspoon paprika
▫️1 tablespoon flax seeds
▫️1 tablespoon garlic powder
roast the eggplant, cauliflower, chopped sweet potatoes on a baking sheet at 400° for 30 minutes. I used leftover rice from takeout, but you can boil rice and use that if you’d like. Toss all ingredients into a food processor or blender, then form into patties and bake at 350° for 25 minutes in the oven or on the grill. 
For the brussels sprouts the recipe is: ▫️about 15 brussels sprouts cut in half
▫️2 teaspoons olive oil
▫️1/2 teaspoon salt
▫️1/2 teaspoon pepper
▫️1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers
▫️1/4 teaspoon oregano
▫️1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
▫️1 teaspoon onion powder
▫️1 teaspoon brown sugar
Toss in olive oil and spices, then pan crisp or roast in the oven for 20 minutes at 400°.

20 minute healthy sweet potato cookies || Happy Fridaaaaaay!! Eat some cookies y’all, they’re good for you 😘 Link for the #recipea is in the bio.

Sun-dried tomato, cucumber, and chickpea picnic salad || Everyone keeps asking what they should bring to barbecues this summer, and I think this might be your answer. This is a super simple salad to rustle up, doesn’t spoil in the heat, and tastes delicious. I’m including the recipe in case you want to click save to have it on hand next time you’re headed to a cookout. 
2 cups cooked Farro (or rice, orzo, quinoa, couscous, etc.)
2 cups cooked white beans
1 cup artichoke hearts, halved
1/3 cup onion, diced
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
2 cups cucumbers, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup spinach, chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
I will have more step-by-step directions up on the blog tomorrow! Does this salad seem like something you would be interested in? What kinds of summer barbecue foods would you like recipes for? Enjoy your grilling!

Homemade sourdough with almond butter, Maca powder, kiwi, strawberry, and hemp seeds || So I think I missed toast Tuesday, but honestly every day is toast Tuesday in my house because I’ve been on a serious sourdough kick. If you check out my website, I have a ton of awesome bread recipes, but no sourdough recipes yet because I’m relatively new to the game. But honestly I’m in love. One of my friends dropped off a sourdough starter during quarantine, and there’s been no looking back since. I topped this toast with some almond butter I had mixed with @shopkarenberrios Maca powder. If you guys aren’t familiar with Maca, it’s a delicious Peruvian super food full of health benefits. It’s rich in antioxidants, and is a great source of protein, minerals, amino acids and is great for energy support, and has a rich nutty flavor.

Skinny sip tea with forget-me-not, hibiscus, Jasmine, rose, rosemary, and lemon|| Are you guys team tea? I remember having tea at my grandma’s house throughout my childhood, iced in the summer and hot in the winter, so it always carries a special memory for me. I love perusing tea shops on vacations and bringing home exotic flavors of loose leaf to remember the trip. @essencesiptea was so kind to let me try their incredible teas. This Skinny Sip tea clears toxins, reduces fluid retention, alleviates indigestion, reduces bloating, and targets existing fats. It uses traditional Chinese medicine principles and balances with natural herbs to nourish and cleanse your digestive system. Plus it is gorgeous to look at, which you know I’m all about. It tastes floral and delicate, and I am in love. If you’d like to try this tea, you can use my code chickpea_and_herb10 for 10% off your first order. #takeasip

Vegan chickpea ‘tuna’ on homemade potato bread, #recipea on the blog now || Such an easy, protein filled lunch, that’s even kid approved! Check the link in my bio to see how to make this meal. We had a great weekend celebrating Father’s Day. We drove to the mountains to visit my family, and saw some of my girlfriends from high school Friday night. We then went on a really great hike with the family on Saturday and did a bunch of grilling, because how else do you please dads? Then yesterday we saw my husband’s family and picked lots of fresh blueberries. Any suggestions for what I should do with them? How were your weekends, what did you do to celebrate?

Grilled apricot and okra kale salad with blackberries || Happy summer solstice! To celebrate, some of my foodie friends and I have gotten together and created some gorgeous summer dishes for you to feast your eyes on. Follow the hashtag #plantbasedsolstice to see more inspired summer meals that really celebrate the season! For this dish, I picked kale fresh from the garden, and then grilled apricots, okra, and corn with the husk on (let me know if you would like a tutorial on this!). I then added fresh blackberries, fresh red onion, vegan ricotta cheese, celery, kale sprouts, and avocado. I topped it with homemade seitan for protein and drizzled the whole thing with a vinaigrette made from olive oil, oat milk, poppyseeds, maple syrup, and garlic. This was such a fresh and fun meal, and I could eat it again and again. What are your favorite summer dishes?

Filed Under: Meals, Week Night Meals Tagged With: asparagus, beans, cooking tutorial, cream sauce, creamy pasta, easy dinner, healthy vegan pasta, mushrooms, pasta bowl, pasta night, sun dried tomatoes, tutorial, vegan cream sauce, vegan pasta, vegan protein, video, weeknight dinner, white bean, white bean dinner, white bean pasta, wild mushrooms

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