Denise says:

  • A creamy, nutty sauce made with butterbeans and walnuts — smooth, rich, and perfect for tossing with your favourite pasta.
  • It is a plant-based, winter comfort with a nutty twist
  • Preparation Time: 15 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 25 minutes
  • Serves:  4 people

Ingredients:

For the sauce:
  • 1 × 400 g can butterbeans (drained weight about 240 g)
  • 80g walnuts, lightly toasted
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 small shallot (about 40g), finely chopped
  • 360 ml unsweetened oat milk or vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) olive oil
  • Zest and juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage (or ½ tsp dried)
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • For garnish:
  • 6–8 sage leaves
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (for frying the sage)
  • 20g toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
  • Extra lemon zest or a slice of charred lemon
  • For the pasta:
  • 400g fettuccine, rigatoni, or orecchiette
  • Salt for boiling water

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the walnuts on a baking try and roast for about 8 minutes or until golden.  Set aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over low–medium heat. Add the chopped shallot and garlic. Sauté gently for 3–4 minutes until soft and translucent — do not brown.
  3. In a blender or food processor, combine the butterbeans, toasted walnuts, cooked shallot and garlic, oat milk (or vegetable stock) lemon juice and zest, sage A pinch of salt and pepper
  4. Blend on high until silky smooth. Adjust with a splash of hot water if needed — the consistency should be creamy but pourable.
  5. Return the blended sauce to the pan and gently heat through over low heat. Taste and adjust seasoning — add more lemon for brightness or salt for depth.
  6. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve about 200 ml of the cooking water before draining.
  7. Toss the drained pasta with the warm sauce, adding a little of the reserved pasta water to coat evenly and achieve a glossy texture.
  8. Fry sage leaves in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 30 seconds per side until crisp.
  9. Scatter chopped toasted walnuts over the pasta.
Add fried sage and a touch of lemon zest or a small, charred lemon slice for aroma.
Tagged in: butter beans, dinner, Garlic, Italian, lemon, Lunch, onion, Pasta, Plant based milk, sage, Supper, Walnuts, white beans