Cheesy Spinach & White Bean Pasta Bake
with Italian Herbs & Lemon
Here’s a vegetarian dinner idea for the ages! It’s filling, homey, and a real crowd-pleaser thanks to the one-two punch of velvety cream sauce and melty cheese topping. You’ll toss tender penne pasta, creamy cannellini beans, and garlicky spinach in a lemon-cream sauce, then top it all with a blend of Italian cheeses and bake until browned and bubbling. After a sprinkle of lemon zest, it’s off to the table for family-style serving in just 20 minutes—easy cheesy lemon squeezy!
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
Ingredients
1 unit
Cannellini Beans
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Lemon
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains Wheat)
5 ounce
Spinach
1 ounce
Cheese Roux Concentrate
(Contains Milk)
1.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains Milk)
1 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
½ cup
Italian Cheese Blend
(Contains Milk)
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
2 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Instructions
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Drain and rinse beans. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Zest and quarter lemon.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (1½ cups for 4 servings), then drain.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add beans and cook, stirring, until warmed through, 1-2 minutes. • Add spinach and another drizzle of oil; cook, stirring, until wilted, 2-4 minutes. • Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds more. Season with salt and pepper.
• Reduce heat under pan with beans and spinach to medium low; stir in cheese roux, sour cream, half the Italian Seasoning, ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water, 1 TBSP butter, and juice from two lemon wedges. (For 4 servings, use all the Italian Seasoning, ¾ cup pasta cooking water, 2 TBSP butter, and juice from four lemon wedges.) TIP: If pasta isn’t finished cooking, ladle pasta water straight from pot. • Cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbling, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir drained penne into pan with filling until thoroughly coated. TIP: If needed, stir in more pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce. • Transfer pasta to an 8-by-8-inch baking dish (use a 9-by-13-inch baking dish for 4 servings); top with Italian cheese blend. Bake on top rack until cheese is bubbling, 2-4 minutes.
• Garnish pasta bake with lemon zest; squeeze juice from remaining lemon wedges over top. Serve family style directly from baking dish (be sure to dig in while it’s hot!).
