If you’re looking for an easy, healthy, weeknight dinner, you’ve come to the right place. My pasta marinara with beans and greens is full of heart-healthy cannellini beans and vitamin-packed broccoli and arugula. And it comes together quickly so it’s perfect for a busy weeknight.
Before creating this dish, I never added beans to my pasta. And my family was skeptical for sure. But after listening to Jay Shetty’s podcast, On Purpose, with guest Dan Buettner, author of the The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, I was inspired to add them in. For those of you who don’t know, the blue zones are areas of the world where there are higher concentrations of centenarians than anywhere else in the world. And what Buettner found was that there were similarities in the diet, lifestyle, and outlook that contribute to their longevity.
In the podcast, Buettner talks about the importance of a plant-based diet. He cites beans as an easy way to add protein in the absence of meat, which people in the Blue Zones only eat a few times a month. While we eat beans, we don’t eat them regularly. But adding them to our pasta was an easy way to reap their nutritional benefits. I also added the broccoli and arugula to give the pasta an extra dose of vitamins and to help us reach our daily goal for veggies.
Pasta Marinara with Beans and Greens
2 cups broccoli, chopped
2 cups arugula, chopped
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups pasta (I used gemelli)
3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce (I used a homemade one from our freezer)
Salt & pepper to taste
Pecorino Romano cheese for serving (optional)
Instructions:
- Boil your pasta according to directions. During the last 4 minutes, add the chopped broccoli. Drain and return to pot, reserving about 3/4 cup pasta water.
- Heat the marinara sauce and cannellini beans until hot. Add the chopped arugula and cook until wilted.
- Add the sauce to the pasta, adding reserved pasta water to help bind the sauce.
- Sprinkle with Pecorino Romano and serve. It’s that simple!
Inspired by the podcast, I just downloaded Buettner’s latest book, The Blue Zones: Secrets for Living Longer. I can’t wait to start reading! And if you haven’t checked out his Netflix docuseries, I highly suggest you do so.
Let me know if you make this recipe and what you think of it. Enjoy!