Baked Pasta with White Bean Sauce

I love beans. In fact, if I had all the money and time in the world, I would open a restaurant called Lulee Bean’s Cafe in which every single dish would include a bean of some sort (including dessert).  Though that isn’t on the horizon as of the moment I still love coming up with beany recipes.

One of my favorite uses of my healthy little buddies is blending them to make a healthified “cream sauce.”  Ok, so it doesn’t taste like the pasta carbonara I would get at Pasquale’s when I went to Fordham, BUT it is damn good and way healthier.

You don’t need to bake this pasta dish, I just had a hankering for a gooey mac and cheese sort of deal. The sauce is also great simply topping a bowl of pasta and veggies with a bit of Parmesan cheese over the top (or as my fiance likes to call it “sprinkle cheese”). If you want it to be creamier, add a tablespoon or two of light ricotta cheese.

Baked Pasta with White Bean Sauce
Serves two-three

Ingredients
1.5 cups dry whole wheat short-cut pasta (like penne or shells)
1/3 cup of low-fat milk
3/4 cup of cannellini beans
About 2 cups of lightly cooked and salted vegetables (I used sauteed baby portobella mushrooms and lightly steamed spinach and broccoli)
2 tablespoons, plus more for sprinkling, of parmesan cheese
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon of salt
dash of black pepper
1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese
spritz of oil

Preheat oven to 350*

1.) Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Boil for 8 minutes, or until al dente.
2.) In another small pot, saute the garlic in a spritz of oil for 2 minutes. Add beans and milk and simmer for 2 minutes.
3.) Blend beans, milk and garlic in a blender until smooth. Return to pot.
4.) Add in parmesan cheese and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.
5.) When pasta is done, drain and return to pot. Combine with vegetable and sauce.
6.) Spread the pasta mixture in a small baking dish. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and a bit of parmesan cheese over the top.
7.) Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.