White Bean and Olive Pasta
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White Bean and Olive Pasta

Melissa Clark’s recipes are always spot on, and while we weren’t sure the kids would like this one (only one of them likes olives), it was a total hit. We actually made it again with sausage, and it wasn’t as good as the vegetarian version. Here, we’ve adapted the quantities for a full jar of Impulse Beans and added a few ingredients for crunch.

(Tastes like it uses sausage but doesn’t! Adapted from this amazing recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1027428-pasta-with-white-beans-olives-and-fennel)

Yields: 4 servings

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 1 jar (19 oz) Organic White Impulse Beans, no need to drain or rinse for this one!
  • 12 oz campanelle pasta
  • 7 Tbsp olive oil
  • ¾ c castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped in half
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¾ tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp red chili flakes
  • ½ c panko
  • ¼ c Parmesan cheese, finely grated (optional)

WHAT YOU DO:

  1. Cook the pasta:
    Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente, or maybe a minute less. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water. Drain pasta.
  2. Get your sauce on:
    Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 5 Tbsp olive oil until warm, and add the olives. Cook for a few minutes, until the olives start to turn golden. Add 4 minced garlic cloves, ¾ tsp fennel seeds, ½ tsp red chili flakes, and stir until combined and warmed through, about 2-3 minutes. Add the white beans (including their liquid stock), stir to combine, and cook for 7-10 minutes, until combined and the beans have taken on the flavors of the herbs and garlic. 
  3. Make a crunchy topping:
    While the beans are cooking, make some cheesy breadcrumbs for the topping. In a small skillet, add the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and heat over medium until warm. Add the ½ c panko and the remaining 1 clove of minced garlic, and some salt. Stir continuously so the breadcrumbs don’t get too brown. When they are golden, add the ¼ c Parmesan cheese, and heat through.
  4. Put it all together:
    Once the bean mixture is looking yummy, add 1 c of the reserved pasta water and the drained pasta. Mix to combine. Is it too dry? Add some more of the pasta water. Is it too wet? Stir and heat until that extra liquid boils off. Once you get the perfect Goldilocks sauce, plate it up and top it with the breadcrumbs from Step 3. 

Made with:

The Artist

White Beans
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