Today Fusilli with artichokes — a very simple recipe, but despite its simplicity and speed it’s a complete and healthy first course since it contains all the macronutrients.
All you need in the fridge is a leek, a few artichokes (maybe already pan-cooked), some cannellini beans (canned is fine as long as it contains only water and salt), and if you have some sprouts even better to sprinkle on before serving.
When you finish whole-grain or ancient-grain pasta with legume creams, they become beautifully creamy and flavorful.
You can find quite a few on the blog:
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring
Ingredients
In this case I use 2 oz per person of pasta because it’s then enriched with legumes and vegetables.
- 8.5 oz whole-wheat fusilli
- 1/2 leek
- 3/4 cup white beans (cannellini) (cooked)
- 4 artichokes (pan-cooked)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds
- 1 tsp aromatic herbs (fresh, chopped)
- 1 tbsp alfalfa sprouts
Steps
Bring a pot of water to a boil with a little salt. In the meantime, wash and slice the leek very thinly and sweat it in a pan with 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
Rinse the cannellini beans, place them in the jug of an immersion blender, add a little water, salt, pepper and 1 tbsp of oil. Blend until you have a creamy texture, set aside.
Add the fusilli to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions.
Slice the cooked artichoke hearts and add them to the pan with the leeks and the cannellini cream.
When the fusilli are cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the pan and toss to finish cooking and coat the pasta with the sauce.
Adjust seasoning if necessary, add the chopped aromatic herbs and serve with shelled hemp seeds and sprouts if ready.
Enjoy your meal.
Timo and Lentils’ Tips
This is really a quick recipe: you just need to be organized and always have vegetables, whole-grain pasta and ready legumes in the pantry. Then you can have fun with combinations: try it with borlotti beans and red onions or with edamame and asparagus.
