When I'm running ragged on weeknights, I make this delicious and easy pasta with pinto beans and fennel for dinner. Creamy beans, garlic, a shredded fennel bulb, fennel seeds and salty olives create BIG and bold flavor.
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Pinto beans and fennel pasta
Fennel adds a huge pop of flavor to any dish and it is especially wonderful in pasta dishes like this classic pasta amatriciana. For my pasta with pinto beans and fennel recipe pair a fresh fennel bulb and fennel seeds with farfalle or any small pasta, nutty pinto beans, garlic, olives and spinach, and presto! You have an easy dinner you will be making on repeat.
The simple sauce is loaded with lots of garlic and a thinly sliced fennel bulb adds so much flavor as well as a delicious crunch. A lot of the flavor also comes from fennel seeds, which stir their magical flavor into the oil and the sauce, infusing every bite. Punctuate that with the deep, rich saltiness of the olives and you've got a flavor party going in your mouth - all for so little effort.
This pasta with beans and fennel has lots of delicious fiber and protein from the beans and veggies. You can serve it on its own or with a fresh side salad for a wholesome dinner. It is soy-free, nut-free and you can make it gluten-free by using a gluten-free pasta. Or use chickpea pasta, so delicious in my pasta e ceci, to bump up the protein.
Adding beans is an easy way to bump up the flavor and nutrition of any pasta dish. You might also enjoy these recipes for pasta with chickpeas, cauliflower and spinach, pasta e fagioli and pasta e ceci.
Recipe card
Easy Pasta with Pinto Beans and Fennel
Ingredients
- 16 oz farfalle (or any small pasta)
- 2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (use more or less per your preference)
- 1 cup Kalamata olives (roughly chopped)
- 6-8 cloves garlic (minced or put through a garlic press)
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 large fennel bulb (cut into thin slices, about 1-inch long)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1-2 teaspoons dried oregano (use more or less depending on how much flavor you want. I like adding the whole two teaspoons for the best flavor)
- 3 cups canned or cooked pinto beans (start with 1 cup dried pinto beans if cooking from scratch)
- 3 cups baby spinach
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Strain pasta and reserve two cups of the pasta cooking water.
- Place olive oil in a wide skillet over low heat. Add the olives, garlic and fennel seeds. Sauté until the garlic turns a light golden and is very aromatic.
- Add the sliced fennel bulb and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Mix and sauté for a couple of minutes, then lower heat, cover, and let the fennel cook 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Stir in the oregano and pinto beans along with the reserved pasta cooking water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and mash a few pinto beans with the ladle to create a creamy sauce.
- Stir in the pasta followed by the baby spinach. Mix until the spinach wilts, then check seasoning and add salt and ground black pepper to taste.
- Garnish with parsley and serve the pasta warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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How to make pasta with pinto beans and fennel
Cook pasta
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Strain the pasta and reserve two cups of the cooking water. You will need this to make the pasta sauce.
Make the sauce
- Place olive oil in a wide skillet over low heat. Using a wide skillet will make it easier to toss the pasta later. Add the olives, garlic and fennel seeds. Sauté until the garlic turns a light golden and is very aromatic. The oil should be sizzling by this stage.
- Add the sliced fennel bulb to the skillet along with red pepper flakes. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Seasoning the vegetables at this stage improves the flavor and it also helps the fennel soften more quickly. Mix and sauté the fennel for a couple of minutes, then lower heat, cover, and let the fennel cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the oregano and pinto beans along with the reserved pasta cooking water. The pasta water already has some starch from the pasta and it helps create a nice, thick sauce.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, lower heat, and mash a few pinto beans with the ladle to make the sauce creamier.
Toss pasta with pinto beans sauce and spinach
- Stir the pasta into the pinto bean sauce followed by the baby spinach. Mix until the spinach wilts, which should take just a few seconds. You don't have to cook the baby spinach because it's already tender. Check seasoning and add salt and ground black pepper to taste.
- Garnish the pasta with parsley and serve it warm or at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, use two 15-oz cans of canned pinto beans. Drain the beans and rinse them under running water before using.
Yes, use any white beans, including cannellini beans, lima beans, navy beans or great northern beans. Chickpeas would also work in this recipe.
Any small pasta shape, including orecchiette, gemelli, casarecce or fusilli, would work nicely.
Fennel is lightly sweet with a mild licorice-like flavor. When cooked its flavor mellows and becomes sweeter, making it perfect for pasta dishes.
If the bulb came with fronds, trim them off (use them to make this amazing fennel fronds pesto or use them as a garnish for the pasta instead of parsley). Cut the bulb in half, cut out the tough core, and slice the fennel thinly.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days.
Yes, freeze pasta in a freezer-safe container for up to two months. Pasta can become softer after it is frozen so if you are making this dish ahead of time freeze the sauce and the pasta separately, then toss them together before serving, reheat, and add in the spinach as it reheats.
Serve the pasta with a side salad like this beet salad or vegan Caesar salad. You can also pair it with roasted vegetables like roasted asparagus and potatoes or roasted carrots with za'atar.
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