It’s National Pasta Day so we have found this delicious recipe from Greens & Beans to celebrate!
Pasta with Cannellini Beans and Asparagus Pesto
Serves 4
Preparation Time 40 minutes
500 g asparagus spears
Salt
250 g cooked cannellini beans
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
½ bunch basil
2–3 cloves garlic
75 g almonds
1 tsp grated zest from an untreated
lemon
2–3 tsp lemon juice
150 ml high-quality olive oil
Cayenne pepper
400 g long pasta (such as linguine)
Wash the asparagus, trim off the woody ends and peel the bottom third. Use a vegetable peeler to shave two-thirds of the asparagus spears into
thin ribbons and set aside. Cut the remaining spears into short pieces and cook them in a pan with 200 ml of boiling salted water for 1 minute.
Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon (reserve the cooking water), rinse in cold water in a sieve and drain well. Bring the asparagus
cooking water to the boil, add the asparagus ribbons and blanch them for 20 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and rinse in cold water in
a sieve.
Rinse the beans in cold water in a sieve and allow to drain well. Wash the herbs, shake dry and pluck the leaves. Peel and coarsely chop the
garlic. Coarsely chop the almonds. In a food processor, blend the herbs, garlic, 2 tablespoons of almonds, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and
asparagus pieces, but not too smoothly. Season the pesto with salt and cayenne pepper.
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, then allow to drain well in a colander. Mix the asparagus ribbons and beans
with the hot pasta in a pan. Stir in half the pesto and about 100 ml of the asparagus cooking water and briefly heat everything together while
stirring.
Divide between plates, top with the remaining pesto and sprinkle with the remaining almonds.
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