Whole Wheat Pasta With Greens, Beans and Pancetta
photo by Hank B.
- Ready In:
- 1hr 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Serves:
-
6-8
ingredients
- 2 slices sandwich bread, torn into quarters
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 6 garlic cloves, minced, divided
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 3 ounces pancetta
- 1 cup minced onion
- 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 lb kale, rinsed but not dried, thick stems trimmed off, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1⁄2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 13 1⁄4 ounces whole wheat spaghetti (weight may vary by brand, you want about 1 pound)
- 4 ounces Fontina cheese, 1 cup grated
directions
- Make garlic breadcrumbs: In a food processor, pulse bread until coarsely ground.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon garlic; cook stirring constantly until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Salt to taste and remove to a small bowl.
- Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl.
- Add the onion to the pan and cook until starting to brown, 5 minutes or so. Add remaining garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook another 30 seconds.
- Add half the greens to the pan and toss until starting to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add remaining greens and broth and 3/4 tsp salt. Cover (pan will be full) and increase heat to high and bring to a strong boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, tossing occasionally until greens are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the beans and pancetta. and cook until heated through. Cover and remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot for the pasta. Add salt to taste and the pasta. Cook stirring often, until pasta is just shy of al dente. (refer to package directions).
- Drain pasta and return to pot. Add the greens/beans/pancetta mixture to pasta and toss to combine. Cook over medium-high heat until pasta absorbs most of the liquid, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the fontina cheese and serve immediately with garlic breadcrumbs.
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>Hello from suburban Fort Worth, Texas! <br /> <br /><br /> <br />______________________________________________ <br /> <br /> <br />*My rating system defined* <br /> <br />Very few recipes really knock my socks off - I love to cook but am not a gourmet. <br />This said: <br /> <br />***** - met all my expectations in taste & appearance; directions were clear & easy to follow. <br /> <br />**** - fell slightly short of my expectations in taste or appearance or directions were faulty or not completely clear. <br /> <br />*** - mediocre taste and/or appearance; most likely a recipe that I would not use again without much modification. <br /> <br />** - taste and/or appearance was not to my liking; a recipe that I would not attempt to modify or use again. <br /> <br />* - taste was absolutely not to my liking (I can't imagine ever using this rating as I can generally tell by the ingredients if I will enjoy the finished product or not) <br /> <br /> <br /><img src=http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e347/Saturn6666/chefbanner1.jpg alt= /> <br /> <br /> <br /><img src=http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j44/scmurray51/hagshat.jpg alt= /> <br /> <br /><br /> </p>