Penne With Roasted Garlic White Bean Puree

After taking a few days off from posting over the Thanksgiving holiday, I’m happy to be back and sharing this healthy recipe with you today, Penne With Roasted Garlic White Bean Puree, Roasted Broccoli and Olives. It’s easy enough for a weeknight, requires just nine ingredients, and comes together in about 30 minutes.

Gluten-free brown rice pasta is wrapped in a cannellini bean puree flavored with roasted garlic, thyme, bouillon, salt and pepper, and served with salty kalamata olives and nutty roasted broccoli.

To make this recipe you’ll need one baking sheet, a blender or food processor, and a pot for cooking the pasta.

After the many opportunities for Thanksgiving indulgence, including my recent bake-fest of Cookies, Apple Layer Cake, Bourbon Pecan Pie, and Cranberry Citrus Tart, Mark and I were ready for a warm and comforting meal that eased our taste buds back to reality. And this penne dish really hit the spot! I love the creaminess of the white bean puree that manages to pack a ton of flavor while also being low-fat. I also love that the sauce does double-duty as the main protein in this dish. Isn’t that convenient? The broccoli maintains enough crunch to add texture, and the briny olives leave you with a burst of fat and flavor that will make you forget exactly how healthy this dish is.

So bring your healthy appetite and enjoy! And stay tuned for those upcoming holiday-worthy desserts.

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5 from 1 vote

Penne With Roasted Garlic White Bean Puree

This healthy and satisfying penne pasta dish is easy enough for a weeknight yet special enough for the weekend. Vegan and gluten-free, with an oil-free option.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian-inspired

Keyword: pasta

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 380kcal

Author: Lori Rasmussen

Ingredients

• 1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets
• 10 to 12 cloves garlic, separated from bulb but skins left on each individual clove
• 1 Tbsp olive oil, optional (see Notes for oil-free roasted garlic)
• 2 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans (can sub navy)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk
• 1 1/2 tsp Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base (to substitute vegetable broth, reduce milk to 1/3 cup and use 1/3 to 1/2 cup broth, adding salt to taste)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 14 to 16 ounces gluten-free penne pasta, such as brown rice (sub wheat pasta if desired)
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives (about 18 to 20), sliced
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

Roast the garlic and broccoli (see Notes for other roasting methods):

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Arrange the broccoli florets and garlic cloves (skin on) on the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, turning both the broccoli and garlic once or twice during cooking. You'll know the garlic is done when it is fragrant, light golden brown, and softened. The broccoli should still be firm but easily pierced with a fork.

Cook the pasta:

• While the broccoli and garlic are in the oven, bring water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain in a colander.

Make the bean puree:

• Once the roasted garlic has cooled enough to handle, squeeze the cloves from their skins and add them to a blender with the beans, milk, bouillon, and thyme. Blend until smooth, adding milk as necessary to achieve a sauce-like consistency. Taste for seasoning and add black pepper and more salt or thyme, if desired.

Serve:

• Transfer the bean puree to the now empty pasta pot and cook on low for one minute just to warm through. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Add to serving bowls and top with broccoli florets and olives.

Notes

If you prefer roasting garlic the more traditional way, as described below, that's fine, too. It just takes a little longer.

For oil-free, roast the garlic as described below but omit the oil. The broccoli can be roasted as described in the recipe, omitting the oil.

Slice off just the very top of the bulb, exposing the tips of the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap in parchment, and then wrap in foil. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until fragrant and soft.

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 215mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 14% | Vitamin C: 52% | Calcium: 6% | Iron: 22%

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