Green Evi

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Pasta with Kidney Bean Sauce

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Quick, easy and cheap pasta with kidney bean sauce recipe.

This delicious pasta with kidney bean sauce takes just 15 minutes to prepare, is extremely simple to make, requires only a few, budget-friendly ingredients, but tastes unbelievably good. Kidney bean sauce is smoky, slightly spicy, and very hearty. You’ll love it!

This sauce is simplicity itself, but it doesn’t mean boring or stupid. Oh not at all! This sauce is actually:

  • Quick and easy to make
  • Cheap (using pantry staples)
  • Vegan
  • Gluten-free and optionally oil-free
  • Smoky and spicy
  • Comforting and satiating
  • Healthy
  • Protein-rich
  • Very delicious

So if you need something other than your traditional tomato sauce, this recipe is a great alternative!

How to make pasta with kidney bean sauce…

It is so simple to make this recipe, it’s ridiculous.

In a pan sauté onions, bell peppers (if using), and garlic. Use a tablespoon of oil, or just water or vegetable broth, if keeping the sauce oil-free.

Once your veggies are cooked, you add drained beans, tomato paste, vinegar, and spices. Cook everything for 5-10 minutes, or until everything thickens.

Now mash beans a little, and adjust consistency with a little water.

Meanwhile you can cook your pasta, so when your kidney bean sauce is done, you can serve it immediately. Easy-peasy.

CUSTOMIZE IT THE WAY YOU LIKE IT!

Probably the best part about this recipe that it’s extremely customizable and versatile. Seriously, there are so many ways to prepare pasta with kidney bean sauce.

BEANS

This pasta sauce is also fabulous with white beans, black beans or a mixture of them. You can even try lentils here. Both canned or freshly cooked legumes work well. I like to drain my beans, but you can use the cooking liquid, if you prefer.

VEGGIES

Omit bell pepper, if you don’t like it. Or use poblano or Hungarian wax pepper instead. Carrot, zucchini, aubergine and spinach are great additions as well.

Olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, or pickled chili will give even more flavor.

SAUCE

You can use BBQ sauce, ketchup, tomato sauce, or a mix of these instead of tomato paste. Freshly chopped or blended tomatoes are yummy too. Or simply use more tomato paste, if you want it extra saucy.

SPICES

You can really play around with the spicing here. Sweet and smoked paprika are always a good choice. Cumin, turmeric, red pepper flakes, coriander and caraway seeds are good as well.

And of course herbs! My favorites are fresh or dry basil, oregano, parsley, cilantro, chives, lovage and thyme.

FLAVORINGS

Besides balsamic vinegar and liquid smoke, you can play around with soy sauce, tamari, mustard, miso, or red wine as well. Add extra hot sauce if you like it spicy!

A pinch of MSG can take this to a whole next level as well.

CONSISTENCY

It’s not just the ingredients you can play around with. The consistency of the sauce makes a big difference as well!

Mash the beans just roughly for a chunky sauce with almost meaty texture. Or mash them until nearly smooth, for an extra creamy sauce.

Add little to no water for a thick sauce. Or be generous with your liquid for a thinner and lighter sauce. Feel free to use water, vegetable broth, red wine or unsweetened plant milk as your liquid.

EXTRAS AND TOPPINGS

Fresh herbs or greens like arugula give a nice fresh taste to this dish.

Vegan cheese is also a yummy addition. Tofu feta, store-bought shredded cheese, or a thick cream cheese are especially good here. Or just a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

Chopped nuts or seeds give a great crunch too.

PASTA

Long noodles like spaghetti, linguine, or tagliatelle work especially good here. But any small type of pasta is good too.

Use white, whole-wheat, legume based, or gluten-free pasta.

Or switch things up! If you had too much pasta in the last days, serve this sauce with rice, quinoa, couscous, or some fresh baguette to dip.

If you made too much….

If you have any leftover sauce, don’t worry!

  • You can simply freeze it in an air-tight container. It’s best to freeze sauce separately from pasta.
  • Kidney bean sauce makes an awesome pizza sauce as well.
  • Or use it as a bread spread or dip.

Looking for more QUICK and EASY PASTA RECIPES? Try these:

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Pasta with Kidney Bean Sauce

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

  • Total Time: 15 mins
  • Yield: 2 1x
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 200 gr/7 ounce pasta of your choice (use GF if needed)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil (optional)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1/2 bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 can of kidney beans
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • dash of liquid smoke (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • salt, pepper

To serve

  • handful of arugula or fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Prepare pasta according to package instructions.
  2. Heat up oil in a skillet. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until translucent. Use a few spoons of water instead of oil, if making oil-free.
  3. Add drained beans, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, oregano, liquid smoke, paprika, cayenne, and a large pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally, to make sure nothing burns down.
  4. Mash beans a little bit with fork. Add water, to reach desired consistency.
  5. Serve sauce over pasta. Top with arugula or basil. Enjoy!
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: Vegan

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Comments

  3. Erin says

    Evi this is so creative and looks delish! The flavors you chose are so lovely. I bet this sauce would be so good over spaghetti squash!!

    Reply

  6. Lisa says

    Delicious and very easy to make. There was so much flavor in the sauce. I roasted some veggies on the side, and it made for one quick and tasty meal.

    Thank you, Evi!

    Reply

  7. demeter | beaming baker says

    Evi, you always make the healthiest ingredients look so delicious. It’s truly a gift! I’m serious though, just visiting your blog make me feel healthier. 😉 Anyway, loving that the kidney bean sauce can also double as a yummy spread. I can definitely see this on a nice, crispy piece of toast. Looking forward to more in your budget-friendly series. Btw, hope you and the bf have a wonderful, relaxing (semi-grandma-ish) weekend. Hehe. 🙂

    Reply

  11. Chrissy says

    Deliciously rich and satisfying. Love this recipe so much that I’ve also made it with rice and added veggies and chicken. Love the idea of using this sauce as a press too! Am going to try that tomorrow with the leftovers!



    Reply

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