Healthier Cheesy Beans & Greens Pasta Bake

Published by

Jasmine

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I really wanted to make a pasta bake that’s cheesy, comforting but is a little more aligned with my health goals. This pasta bake contains less saturated fat than my usual cheesy pasta dishes and each portion has 30g of protein and 17g of fibre (in just under 600 calories, if you’re tracking). And it does not taste like one of those unsatisfying ‘healthier’ versions!

INGREDIENTS

Greens:

Kale

Broccoli

Spinach

Leek

Sauce:

Cashew nuts

Italian hard cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano or a rennet-free alternative)

Mustard

Cannellini beans

Toppings:

Cheddar cheese

Mozzarella (lower-moisture options work best)

Breadcrumbs (I blitzed a small end piece of stale sourdough)

Chilli flakes

Fresh parsley

Everything else:

Spelt pasta (or any other wholegrain pasta)

Butter beans

Garlic

Shallot

Oregano

Paprika

TIPS & NOTES

If you want to make this recipe vegan you can swap parmesan and cheddar for nutritional yeast and the mozzarella for vegan mozzarella or even homemade tofu ricotta for extra protein, if you’re not a fan of vegan cheeses.

The trick to this dish is honestly not to overcook anything! You don’t want mushy, overcooked pasta (spelt cooks pretty quickly) and you don’t want sloppy, anaemic-looking greens. Cook everything a little less initially, so that when we bake it, everything ends up with the perfect texture.

Cheesy Beans & Greens Pasta Bake

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

European / American

Blender required, soak the cashew nuts c.30 mins before you start cooking in 150ml of boiling water

Ingredients

  • 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped, pressed or grated)
  • 1 shallot (finely chopped)
  • 1 leek (chopped)
  • 1 small head of broccoli (cut into bite-sized florets)
  • 80g of kale (de-stemmed and roughly chopped)
  • 100g of spinach (roughly chopped)
  • 180g of spelt pasta
  • 1 400g can of cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 400g can of butter beans (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 tsp of oregano
  • 1 tsp of paprika
  • 1 tsp of chilli flakes
  • 15g of Italian hard cheese (finely grated)
  • 60g of raw cashew nuts (soaked for 30 mins in 150ml of boiling water)
  • 1 tsp of mustard
  • 150g of mozzarella cheese
  • 40g of cheddar cheese (grated)
  • A small handful (c. 3g) of parsley (large stems removed – optional: chopped)
  • 50g of breadcrumbs
  • A drizzle of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C and boil the kettle
  2. Add the boiled water to an oven-safe lidded casserole dish (if you don’t own one, use a separate saucepan and oven dish), salt generously and bring to a rolling boil before adding the pasta and cooking it just shy of al dente (e.g. if ‘cooked’ is 8 mins and al dente is 6-7 mins then go for 6 mins) – remove and drain once done
  3. Over a medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil to the casserole dish and add the garlic and shallot, season with salt and pepper and sauté for a couple of mins until fragrant
  4. Add the oregano, paprika and half of the chilli flakes and mix in the leek and broccoli – sauté for a further 5-7 mins
  5. Add the spinach and kale and season generously, stir together and cook for a further couple of mins until the spinach just wilts
  6. Add the Italian hard cheese, cashews and soaking water, mustard, cannellini beans and a generous amount of salt and pepper to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy
  7. Add the pasta back in with the greens, along with the butter beans and pour over the sauce, stir everything together so it’s evenly-coated
  8. Sprinkle over breadcrumbs and tear the mozzarella into chunks and add over the top, along with the cheddar
  9. Bake in the oven for 15 mins covered then switch to a medium heat on the grill setting, remove the lid and sprinkle over the remaining chilli flakes and grill for 7-10 mins until a crispy topping forms
  10. Sprinkle over the parsley and allow to cool for 5-8 mins before serving

Let me know if you try this cheesy beans and greens pasta bake!

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