Tubetti with Creamy Borlotti Beans, Cherry Tomatoes, and Arugula

I have the talented cookbook author Rossella Rago to thank for this lovely dish, a summery version of pasta e fagioli. It is packed with flavor, one of those dishes in which the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

My daughter is a vegetarian, so I’m always on the lookout for good meatless options, and this one caught my eye when Rossella posted a link to the recipe on Instagram. The ingredients are few: cannellini beans, garlic, peperoncino, cherry tomatoes, and arugula, plus short pasta. I didn’t have cannellini ~ those creamy white beans typically found in Tuscan dishes ~ but I had just cooked a big batch of borlotti (cranberry beans) and so I used those. And since I was running low on garlic I simply substituted a big shallot that was sitting on the countertop looking for a purpose.

Some of the beans are mashed and some are left whole. This is key to achieving the sauce’s creamy texture. Also key: using a ladleful each of bean broth (or liquid from canned beans) and starchy pasta water to help bind everything together. Be sure to finish cooking the pasta right in the pan with the sauce so it can absorb all those juices and flavors.

Over the years I’ve posted several recipes for MVP (most valuable player) summer dish ~ a recipe I make over and over again during a particular summer. Zucchini alla Scapece, Sweet and Sour Roasted Peppers, and Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes are all MVP recipes from summers past. This lightened take on pasta e fagioli might very well be this summer’s MVP.

TUBETTI WITH CREAMY BORLOTTI BEANS, CHERRY TOMATOES, AND ARUGULA
Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups cooked borlotti beans, plus some of their cooking liquid; or 2 (14-ounce) cans borlotti or cannellini beans, plus some of their liquid
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon crushed peperoncino
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 teaspoon salt
5 ounces arugula leaves, about 2 big handfuls
1 pound tubetti, medium shells, or other short, smallish pasta (not pastina)
Freshly grated Pecorino cheese for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously.

2. Put half the beans in a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or puree them in a blender. Leave the other half whole.

3. Place the olive oil, shallots, and peperoncino in a skillet or saucepan large enough to hold the cooked pasta, and set it on medium-low. Cook, stirring often, until the shallot is fragrant and has begun to soften, about 3 minutes.

4. Drop the tubetti gently into the boiling water and cook until very al dente (slightly underdone) while you finish the sauce.

4. Stir in the cherry tomatoes into the skillet and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Raise the heat to medium and cook just until the tomatoes start to soften and break down, about 5 minutes.

5. Add both the mashed and whole beans to the skillet, plus a ladleful of bean broth, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook 5 minutes, then add the arugula and stir until just wilted.

6. Using a wide skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the tubetti to the skillet with the sauce. Or drain the pasta in a colander set in the sink and transfer it to the skillet. Be sure to save some cooking water.

7. Over high to medium-high heat, simmer the pasta with the sauce for about 2 minutes, tossing and stirring to make sure the tubetti are well-coated. Add a splash or two of cooking water if necessary to loosen the sauce.

8. Spoon the pasta into warmed bowls. Drizzle each serving with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle freshly grated Pecorino cheese on top.