Recipes Mediterranean Diet Triple Tomato Pasta With Spinach and White Beans By Molly Cleary, MS, RD, CDN, CNSC Molly Cleary is a registered dietitian and recipe developer. She is also a certified nutrition support clinician. Learn about our editorial process Molly Cleary, MS, RD, CDN, CNSC Updated on September 20, 2019 Print Molly Cleary (49 ratings) Total Time: 30 min Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 20 min Servings: 4 Tomatoes get their red color from lycopene, an antioxidant that may help to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. Cooking tomatoes actually helps to increase lycopene content, therefore potentially boosting its disease-fighting power. In addition to lycopene, this recipe also provides great nutritional benefits from the cannellini beans. These beans are full of fiber, at 6 grams per half cup serving. They are also one of the highest potassium beans out there, a micronutrient and electrolyte that can help lower blood pressure. Ingredients 8 ounces whole wheat penne pasta 1 can low sodium cannellini beans 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 package baby spinach 2 cups cherry tomatoes, diced 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil ¼ cup sliced/slivered almonds 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 2 cloves garlic (or 1 teaspoon minced) 2 teaspoons dried basil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper Preparation Cook pasta according to package directions. Combine pesto ingredients (slivered almonds through crushed red pepper) in a food processor and blend until mostly smooth; some small chunks are okay. You may need to a little water to thin, but do not add more than a few tablespoons since the sauce is meant to be thick. Drain and rinse cannellini beans. Add olive oil to a pan and heat to medium high. Add baby spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat. Combine the pasta, beans, spinach, and tomatoes into one large pot. Add the pesto and mix well. Divide into 4 bowls and serve. Ingredient Variations and Substitutions If you cannot find sun-dried tomatoes in oil, then you can substitute ¾ cup bagged sun-dried tomatoes with ¼ cup olive oil. It works best if tomatoes are soaked in the oil for at least an hour. Cooking and Serving Tips Leftover pesto tastes delicious as a sandwich spread. It also freezes well. Rate this Recipe You've already rated this recipe. Thanks for your rating! Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get simple, delicious recipes to help you eat well without feeling deprived. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit