This pesto pasta is a flavourful, nutrient-packed meal you’ll keep coming back to. Cavolo nero is a good source of antioxidants, while pistachios offer healthy fats for that gut:heart connection (alongside a satisfying crunch). Meanwhile, the butter beans add fibre and plant protein, making this dish both satiating and nourishing.
Ingredients
Base:
- 150g whole wheat pasta
- 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
Pesto:
- 200g Cavolo nero, hard ribs removed and roughly chopped
- 30g basil
- 1 garlic clove
- 45g raw unsalted pistachio, shelled
- 25g Grana Padano cheese
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
Tomato salad:
- 200g vine tomatoes, sliced and halved
- ½ small garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- A few basil leaves, roughly chopped
To serve:
- 2 tbsp pistachios, chopped
- Mixed seeds
- Extra grated parmesan
Method
- Combine all the ingredients for the tomato salad in a bowl and set aside.
- Plunge the cavolo nero into a pan of boiling water and leave for 1 minute before draining and rinsing under cold water. Squeeze out excess water and add to a food processor along with the remaining pesto ingredients.
- Blend until smooth adding splashes of water gradually to help loosen it along the way. Empty into a bowl and set aside.
- Cook the pasta per packet instructions and add the drained beans during the last few minutes to warm through. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Combine the pesto, pasta and beans, with a few good splashes of pasta water and stir until fully combined and creamy.
- Serve topped with tomato salad, extra pistachios, grated parmesan and basil leaves.
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