Protein-packed cannellini beans, lemon zest, and fresh basil fill this made-in-minutes pasta dish with bright flavors. If you don't have linguini, use spaghetti, penne, or bow tie pasta instead—they'll all work fine in this dish. You won't believe how good five ingredients can taste.
How to Store Basil
To store extra basil, snip a quarter-inch from its stems, stand it in a glass filled with about an inch of water, cover loosely with a plastic bag, and refrigerate.
Ingredients
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10 ounce dried linguine or desired pasta
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1 (19 ounce can) white kidney (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
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½ of a lemon
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3 tablespoon olive oil
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1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
Directions
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Cook Pasta and Beans
Cook pasta according to package directions, adding beans for the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Remove 1/2 cup of the cooking liquids; set aside. Drain pasta and beans; cover to keep warm.
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Prepare Lemon Peel
Meanwhile, finely shred peel from the lemon half (about 2 teaspoons). In a small skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add lemon peel; cook and stir 1 minute, or until lightly golden.
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Mix Lemon-Basil Sauce
In a food processor combine cooked lemon peel, basil, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice from the lemon half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and process until smooth. Add reserved cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency, processing mixture after every addition.
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Toss and Serve
To serve, toss hot cooked pasta mixture with lemon-basil mixture. Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 452 | Calories |
| 10g | Fat |
| 75g | Carbs |
| 18g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 4 | |
| Calories 452 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 10g | 13% |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 5% |
| Sodium 648mg | 28% |
| Total Carbohydrate 75g | 27% |
| Total Sugars 4g | |
| Protein 18g | 36% |
| Vitamin C 12.4mg | 14% |
| Calcium 101mg | 8% |
| Iron 4.7mg | 26% |
| Potassium 211mg | 4% |
| Folate, total 177.4mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0.1mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.