Creamy Cajun Pasta with Pinto Beans
and bell peppers / spinach
This spicy and creamy pasta is loaded with colorful vegetables. We've given it a pretty significant makeover, but it is inspired by a meal we featured in 2015.
Smarts: The bell peppers are added at the end of cooking so that they retain some crunch. If you’d like them more tender (or if they are in large pieces), you can add them at the beginning of cooking with the garlic.
Ingredients
- Pasta, any fun shape - 8 oz
- Bell peppers, any color - 2, diced
- Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
- Green onions - 2, chopped, green and white parts separate
- Limes - 1, wedges
- Tomatoes, diced and preferably fire-roasted (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can, drained
- Beans, pinto (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can, drained and rinsed
- Butter - 3 Tbsp
- Flour, all-purpose - 2 Tbsp
- Milk - 1 1/2 cups (sub stock but the sauce will be less creamy)
- Jerk or Cajun seasoning - 2 tsp
- Baby spinach - 5 oz
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Pasta - Cook pasta according to package directions. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Bell peppers / Garlic - Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Green onions / Limes - Chop green onions, keeping green and white parts separate. Slice limes into wedges.
- Tomatoes - Drain well.
- Beans - Drain and rinse.
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Make
- Heat a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add butter. When butter melts, add flour, white parts of green onions, and garlic. Saute until no dry spots of flour remain, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Slowly pour in milk while whisking. Bring milk to a simmer, whisking constantly. Once mixture is simmering, simmer for 2 minutes to allow sauce to thicken slightly.
- Stir in Jerk seasoning, drained tomatoes, baby spinach, and bell peppers. Continue simmering until spinach is wilted, about a minute more.
- Fold in pasta, beans, and green parts of green onions.
- Taste pasta and season with some salt and pepper and / or more Jerk seasoning. If you’d like some tart flavor you can squeeze juice from some of the lime wedges into the pasta.
- Serve pasta with lime wedges on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
Most Helpful
It is good and comforting, but it’s missing something. I think next time i would either add miso paste, or make it the sauce with tomato paste instead of diced tomatoes and white wine and then milk. I’ll try both :)
1 Helpful45 reviews
Really liked it! Since I prepped, it was pretty quick and easy. Did the chicken in the air fryer. Left overs for lunches were good too.
0 HelpfulWe really enjoyed this! I don't do much pasta but this was one I wanted to try. It did not disappoint.
0 HelpfulIt is good and comforting, but it’s missing something. I think next time i would either add miso paste, or make it the sauce with tomato paste instead of diced tomatoes and white wine and then milk. I’ll try both :)
1 HelpfulDue to some very strong food preferences, I modified the ingredient list a smidge (no peppers, no spinach), but otherwise followed the recipe as best I could. The chicken was divine, and the pasta was most excellent. The kids loved the richness of the cinnamon and brown sugar in the marinade with the jerk seasoning, and I was pleasantly surprised to pull off a cream sauce. Don't skimp on the jerk seasoning for the sauce! I did, and the pasta was a little bland, especially next to the chicken.
0 Helpful