The Pasta Swap That Gives Your Favorite Recipes A Hearty Upgrade
Pasta dishes are known for being cheap, filling, and adaptable meals. You can throw vegetables and different meats into them, and even experiment with making your own sauces with common ingredients such as tomatoes, cream, and butter. But what if you are feeling burnt out by pasta and are looking to spruce up the dish without sacrificing your favorite flavors or convenience? Consider swapping out your pasta noodles for delicious beans.
Now, using beans as a substitute for pasta is nothing new. In fact, there is a popular brand called Banza that sells common pasta shapes made out of chickpeas rather than wheat. However, you can also use actual beans as a pasta substitute. For this, it is recommended to use chickpeas or white beans, such as navy, cannellini, or butter beans, because of their light taste.
Cookbook author Caroline Gelen shared her recipe for beans alla vodka on TikTok — which uses butter beans in place of pasta because of their large size, taste, and juicy texture. She describes the dish as a comfort meal that is also very filling, and notes that the recipe only requires a few common grocery items. Using this as a starting point, there are several ways to swap pasta for beans in your favorite comfort dishes.
@carolinagelen beans alla vodka, just like penne alla vodka, but beans #beans #pasta #food #cooking #comfortfood
What type of pasta sauces pair well with beans?
Beans and tomato sauce are a perfect pair. Just think of the many existing recipes that incorporate both, such as chana masala, vegetarian chili, and pasta e fagioli. Because of that, beans are a worthwhile substitute for pasta in dishes that have a tomato-based sauce. When preparing the dish, you can use canned or homemade cooked beans. The beans are then added to the recipe in the same way you would add cooked pasta. Once the sauce is prepared, simply stir in the cooked beans, plate as normal, and add your garnishes.
But you don't have to stop there. Cooked beans also go well with other sauces. For instance, a nutty pesto or a creamy alfredo would pair well with the legumes. If you are feeling extra fancy, you can even make a simple cacio e pepe. The end result of the dish will be extra creamy due to the moisture and softness of the cooked beans, much like the beans alla vodka.