Is there anything more comforting than a bowl of pasta? I don’t think so. While I love a classic lentil bolognese sauce or a vegan mac n’ cheese, sometimes I want something a little lighter- Cue this white bean and kale vegan pasta recipe.
I developed this pasta recipe a few weeks ago and have been hooked ever since. It relies on white beans and kale as the ingredient base, with olives and sundried tomatoes giving the pasta a salty umami richness.
This pasta uses pretty much solely pantry essentials, which means it’s perfect to whip up during those days when you feel like you have nothing in the fridge. White beans add a creaminess to the dish and in my opinion, are the most underrated bean. They’re especially soft and take on the flavor or whatever you cook them with, meaning they blend well into sauces and soups. If you have my soup ebook, you know that I use cannellini beans all the time in those recipes! Cannellini beans are also a great source of plant-based protein, iron, fiber, vitamin C and magnesium.
If you don’t have kale on hand, feel free to sub it with any leafy green! You could also experiment with adding mushrooms to this pasta, which would make it taste extra-decadent.
While I’ve included my measurements for this vegan pasta recipe, know that you can always adjust it based on your taste buds! Add more olives or sundried tomato for flavor, more nutritional yeast for cheesiness, more lemon for a zingy flavor, and you can even add chili flakes for some heat!
Make sure you let me know in the comment section if you love this white bean and kale vegan pasta recipe as much as I do, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram when you make it!
White Bean and Kale Vegan Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes oil packed, sliced
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives pitted and halved
- 1 can white beans 540 mL can, drained and rinsed
- 2 large handfuls kale chopped
- 454 grams pasta of choice
- 1/4 cup white wine can sub vegetable stock
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Add water to a large pot with a lid over high heat. Wait for water to boil, then cook pasta as per package instructions, stopping when the pasta is a touch firmer than al dente, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Meanwhile, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until onion is translucent.
- Add sundried tomatoes, olives, salt and pepper and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add white beans, kale, white wine, and about 1 tbsp of the oil from the sundried tomato. Sauté for 3-4 more minutes.
- Once the pasta is a touch firmer than al dente, add it to the pan with 1 cup of the reserved cooking water. Mix to combine.
- Add nutritional yeast, lemon juice, chili flakes and more salt or pepper if desired. Serve and enjoy!
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This was really good! I’m always trying to find ways to use kale as it’s not my favorite. I would say slice it real thin. I only used one can of beans and one cup of coconut milk. Everything else I followed the recipe. The flavors just really work together. Even better next day. Served over wild rice.
So happy to hear that Melody!
This was such a delicious tasting dish! I thought the olives would be too overpowering, but it was perfect! Next time I would probably use more white beans, but thats a personal preference 🙂 I cannot wait to make this again and add some other things and switch it up. So easy and delicious! I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful this was!
I’m so happy you liked it, Colleen! This is one of my favourites too 🙂