20-Minute Butter Bean Pesto Pasta

Creamy pesto pasta tossed with tender butter beans, juicy cherry tomatoes, Parmesan, and reserved pasta water for a fast, satisfying meatless dinner.

Prep: 5 min · Cook: 15 min · Yield: 4 · Method: Stovetop

Ingredients

• 8 oz pasta
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 15-oz can butter beans
• 0.333 cup pesto
• 0.333 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 0.25 tsp black pepper
• 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes

Cooking instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain. (about 10 min) — Boiling
2. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the butter beans. Halve the cherry tomatoes and mince the garlic. (about 3 min)
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, butter beans, salt, and black pepper. Cook until the tomatoes soften and the beans are hot, about 3 minutes. (about 3 min) — Medium heat
4. Add the drained pasta, pesto, Parmesan, and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to the skillet. Toss until glossy and evenly coated, adding more pasta water a splash at a time if needed. (about 2 min) — Medium-low heat
5. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan and black pepper, if desired. (about 1 min)