Carole Food.

Rosé tomato sauce is one of my favourite pasta dishes! Usually the ‘rosé-ness’ of the sauce comes from cream, but I’ve chosen a lighter more mid-week friendly alternative here, cream cheese! And as usual, I’ve also swapped the pasta for fibre rich beans. The spinach is optional but it’s great way to get some extra veg in and it also gives a nice freshness to the dish.

Why you’ll love this dish

• Minimal ingredients - depending on whether you add the spinach or not, this dish only has 5 (or 6) ingredients, so it’s the perfect thing to make if you’re running low on supplies! 
• Quick - this dish is ready in 20 minutes, so it’s the ideal to thing to make mid week, or if you need to throw something together quickly when you’ve got last minute dinner guests!

What ingredients do you need for this dish (includes possible substitutions)? 

Garlic: to make this dish as quick as possible, I’ve skipped onion and chosen to just use garlic. However you can of course add onion too if you want! 

Tomato paste: You can also make rosé sauce using chopped tomatoes, but the method will be slightly different to this recipe, so I'd recommend sticking with the tomato paste here.

Cannellini beans: can be substituted for most canned beans or chickpeas! 

Cream cheese: ideally use full fat here, as sometimes the lighter varieties can split... 

Parmesan: any type hard Italian cheese will do fine here!

Spinach: you can substitute spinach for any quick cooking leafy green here, e.g. some sliced swiss chard or cavolo nero. 

What to serve this with? 

This is great served with some buttered toast and a side salad. It would also be very delicious with a side of veg too, e.g. some roasted broccoli or cauliflower would be perfect! 

Instructions 

Fry the garlic and tomato paste 

In a large frying pan over a low-medium heat, add 1-2 tbsp of oil. Once hot, add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir regularly. 

Add the beans and cream cheese

Add the cannelloni beans and cream cheese. Stir well to combine. 

Stir in the parmesan and water

Finally, add the parmesan and water. Increase the heat to medium and stir until the parmesan is melted. Taste for seasoning then add the spinach if using. Cook until wilted and that’s everything! 

FAQ 

What’s the best way to store this dish? 

Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Then reheat either in the microwave, or on the hob. 

Can this be frozen?

Cream cheese isn’t the easiest thing to freeze, so I wouldn’t recommend freezing this.

If you’re looking for another bean dish, be sure to try out these recipes: 

• Sun Dried Tomato Beans
• Quick Black Dal
• Green Thai Beans