The perfect late-summer weeknight dish is here: Garlicky Cherry Tomato Pasta with White Beans! It’s a go-to in our kitchen when we’re craving something simple yet nourishing. Featuring salty kalamata olives, burst cherry tomatoes, creamy white beans, and our BFF kale, it’s a vibrant dish packed with textures, flavors, protein, and fiber.
Vegan, gluten-free optional, and just 10 ingredients and 25 minutes required. Let’s make dinner!
This simple dish begins with getting your favorite pasta cooking on the stovetop. Then it’s on to sautéing garlic and shallots for a flavorful base for the sauce.
Next, we add cherry tomatoes, water (or white wine for depth of flavor), red pepper flakes, and sea salt and cook until the cherry tomatoes begin to burst, creating sauciness with bites of heat!
Fiber- and protein-packed white beans come next, along with chopped kalamata olives for salty pops of flavor and kale for added nutrients and vibrancy!
Once the mixture is fully saucy (with a little help from the reserved pasta cooking water), we add the cooked pasta and stir it all together! Optional sprinkles of vegan parmesan cheese add extra cheesiness and saltiness to every bite.
We hope you LOVE this pasta! It’s:
Simple
Garlicky
Flavorful
Nourishing
Quick & easy
& SO delicious!
It’s the perfect meal when you’re craving pasta that isn’t super heavy or need dinner on the table fast and haven’t done much planning. While satisfying on its own, it would also pair well with our Garlicky Sautéed Greens, Best Vegan Garlic Bread, or nearly any roasted or grilled veggies.
And for dessert? Our Vegan Tiramisu Pudding Cups would be a stellar pairing!
More Simple Pasta Recipes
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Servings 4 (Servings)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 5 medium cloves garlic, sliced (5 medium cloves yield ~22g or 2 Tbsp)
- 1 small shallot, minced (1 small shallot yields ~28g or 3 Tbsp // you can leave it out if you don’t have one)
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water (or sub white wine for more flavor // we like a light white wine like Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2-3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 (12 oz.) package pasta (gluten-free as needed // we like Jovial Fusilli or Penne)
- 1/2 bunch kale, large stems removed, leaves thinly chopped (or sub another green like arugula or spinach // 1/2 bunch yields ~3 cups or 75 g)
- 1 (15 oz.) can white beans, drained and rinsed (we like cannellini // or sub ~1 ½ cups homemade)
- 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 1/2-3/4 cup pasta water (reserved from cooking pasta)
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For cooking the pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat.
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Meanwhile, heat a large rimmed skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, sliced garlic, and minced shallot. Sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Add the cherry tomatoes, water (or white wine), red pepper flakes, and sea salt. Stir to coat them with garlic and oil. Cover the pan and let cook for about 5 minutes until the skins on the cherry tomatoes begin to burst.
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Once your pasta water is boiling, add your pasta and cook following package instructions. **Make sure to reserve 3/4 cup (180 ml) of pasta water before draining.**
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Meanwhile, remove the lid from the tomatoes and add the chopped kale (if using arugula or spinach, wait to add it until the last minute), drained and rinsed white beans, and chopped kalamata olives. Sauté for another 5 minutes until the liquid has almost completely evaporated from the tomatoes. Add 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the pasta water (adjust amount if altering batch size) to the sauce and stir, letting it cook down for 1-2 minutes. Pour the pasta into the sauce and stir to coat. Add the remaining pasta water if the mixture needs more liquid — the pasta should be lightly coated in the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, adding salt to taste or red pepper flakes for heat!
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Serve warm with an optional topping of vegan parmesan cheese. Store leftovers in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or briefly in a saucepan. Not freezer friendly.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with water (not wine), the lesser amounts where ranges are provided, whole wheat pasta, and without optional ingredients.
Serving: 1 serving Calories: 538 Carbohydrates: 90.1 g Protein: 20.8 g Fat: 15.1 g Saturated Fat: 1.9 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.3 g Monounsaturated Fat: 7.8 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 399 mg Potassium: 1068 mg Fiber: 16.9 g Sugar: 7.4 g Vitamin A: 333 IU Vitamin C: 35 mg Calcium: 88 mg Iron: 3.9 mg
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