Cannellini-Bean Pasta With Beurre Blanc

Recipe from Jack Monroe

Adapted by Tejal Rao

Updated October 22, 2019

  • Sarah Anne Ward for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Amy Elise Wilson
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(4,099)
Comments
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This recipe, like so many great straightforward, inexpensive go-tos, starts with little more than a can of beans — then transforms it into a luxurious meal. Jack Monroe, the British food writer, uses a classic beurre blanc to do that work, simmering a splash of wine, vinegar and butter together, then tipping it into a pot of boiling beans and pasta, letting the liquid reduce to a starchy, nearly creamy consistency. If you think of beurre blanc as fancy and fussy, this simple, unexpected use for it may change your mind. You can also build on the basic recipe, adding a bunch of chopped chard or mustard greens in with the sauce, or covering the top with torn herbs. —Tejal Rao

Featured in: How Do You Make Canned Beans Taste Luxurious? Beurre Blanc

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

  • 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed

  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

  • ¼ cup white wine

  • ¼ cup white wine vinegar

  • 1 shallot or small white onion, finely chopped

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 cup small pasta, like shells

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • Grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano or other strong hard cheese, to finish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Add the beans and stock to a large pot, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, and let simmer for 20 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    While the beans cook, combine the wine, vinegar, shallot and butter in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low for about 15 minutes, shaking the pan as the liquid reduces to keep it from burning. Turn off the heat, and set the beurre blanc aside.

  3. Step 3

    Stir the pasta into the beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked through, about 10 more minutes. Stir in the beurre blanc, and season generously with salt and pepper. Serve with a little grated cheese on top.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
4,099 user ratings
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Comments

Karolyn Schalk

Don't comment till you make it! Some stock will evaporate over a 20 minute simmer. The pasta absorbs enough of the stock that what's left once the beurre blanc is added is a lovely sauce. I threw a couple Parmesan rinds into the beans and stock (also used all sorts of hard cheese nibs from the fridge - Manchego, Romano and Parmesan and it was swell)

maw

Half the comments are: this was too vinegary. This is because this recipe doesn’t give correct instructions for Beurre Blanc. First boil the vinegar, wine and shallots until most of the liquid has evaporated and reduced to about 1-2 tbsp. Remove from heat. Slowly whisk in butter, in small chunks, to emulsify the fat and vinegar into a creamy sauce. If it gets too hot it will break, and the fat will separate from the liquid. Google Julia Child’s Beurre Blanc for detailed instructions and ratios.

WynneN

Seems like there may be a step or two missing here. The pasta cooks in 10 minutes in the simmering liquid? The beurre blanc gets added to the bean/pasta pot? No draining?

Easy weeknight sophistication

This was really so good and so simple and rather sophisticated and elegant. A lovely surprise! Everyone loved it (I doubled the recipe). I used white onion because I had it but can see why shallot would be better. Coupled with a light salad with a light vinaigrette would be the perfect dinner. Grateful to have found this.

Diana

My go to dinner recipe these days… so easy and delicious. I definitely recommend using a small pasta shape, I have tried with larger shapes like orecchiete but they don’t cook through as well and take more liquid.

Sarah M

I added the greens from the "creamy spicy tomato beans and greens" recipe here on top and it was great! Toss arugula with the seasoned panko, lemon zest and juice, plus parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Pile the greens at the center of the bean mixture.

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Credits

Adapted from “Tin Can Cook” by Jack Monroe (Bluebird, 2019)

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