Pesto Pasta with White Beans and Halloumi | Vegetarian

Pesto pasta with white beans and halloumi is a weekday vegetarian go-to pasta recipe that comes together in less than half an hour. Actually, it’s more like a suggestion than a recipe. Who doesn’t want freedom and flexibility in working with what’s available in the pantry. As long as you have dry pasta, a can of white beans, some greens and nuts that can turn into a pesto, a delightful and stressless meal is in short order. Swapping things out and playing around can be fun — with big or small hands in your kitchen, for eaters and cooks. One thing: What about the halloumi, the third component in the title of the dish?

THE HALLOUMI

I’ve gone up and down the aisles at Whole Foods a few times and still can’t find the halloumi. What is it? Finally, a store associate at the cheese department walks me to the shelf where only a single kind of halloumi is available. The label reads: “Authentic goat and ewe milk cheese handmade in Cyprus, the original grilling cheese”. It resembles a chunk of mozzarella cheese, except it holds up better in high temperature under the grill. Oh, you can put grill marks on it — that’s the cheese for grilling! Halloumi also reminds me of feta, except it is milder in flavor and less crumbly. Ottolenghi chooses halloumi because we can make “fluffy cloud” from grating it with a microplane. I was not too successful in grating the halloumi since the one I bought was a bit wet.

Knowing the characteristics of halloumi, now we can infer on suitable substitutions. Mozzarella and feta are both natural replacements. Provolone is another good alternative. For plant-based option, tofu can be a versatile substitution; it can be cooked and fried like halloumi. Well, next time I’d check my fridge first before running out to buy a block of halloumi just for the pasta. Who says you can’t use Parmesan if that’s what you have on hand!

THE WHITE BEAN SAUCE: Creamy yet low in fat

Speaking of a vegetarian diet, other than a smattering of halloumi clouds, no other dairy product is used in the pasta. Generally, I prefer a white sauce for my pasta. This white bean sauce is not only light but low in fat, as compared to a heavy-cream based or yogurt sauce. Furthermore, the white bean sauce imparts an earthy smoothness that fills your stomach. As a result, the pesto pasta with the white bean sauce can stand as a full meal in its own right. On some days, this is exactly what you need to effectively, economically and happily feed your family!

COOKING THE PASTA: One pot or two?

Ottolenghi’s recipe in the New York Times calls for cooking the white beans and the pasta in one pot. It’s faster and more convenient to do so. However, the pasta I use requires longer cooking time and more water. Different dry pasta invariably absorbs water at different rate.

In my second attempt, I cook the pasta separately which gives me better control over cooking the pasta al dente while the beans cook until they can barely hold their shape. Mind you, killing two birds with one stone can be tricky. I’m more comfortable with a fail-safe approach. The only downside for cooking pasta independently is having two pots to clean. Your call!

MAKING THE PESTO: Arugula, kale or watercress?

While the pasta is cooking, there is enough time to blitz the roasted pine nuts, arugula, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil in a food processor. That requires seconds to finish, much longer than the time it takes to decide which greens or nuts to make the pesto with. No pine nuts in the pantry, no problem. I take out some walnuts and start toasting them. Ottolenghi hails that arugula stars in this pesto, but kale or watercress could also step in. Again, there are countless flexibilities with whatever greens or nuts you desire. The freedom of choice is there to be exercised. The dish will be totally fine!

DRESSING THE PASTA WITH LEMON JUICE, ZEST, MORE PESTO AND GRATED HALLOUMI

Since I’m at it, I take the liberty to dress the pasta with the additional lemon zest. Why stop with the juice? Grate the zest. I often find the scent of citrus elevating. Pile it onto my pasta. For the arugula pesto, leave some on the side for an extra kick — if needed. This is how I go with most dressing. Taste again to see whether you need more or not. Put some on the table for everyone. Pass the pesto, please!

Print Recipe

Pesto Pasta with White Beans and Halloumi

Ingredients

• FOR THE PASTA:
• ⅓ cup/75 milliliters olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 medium green serrano chile, stemmed and halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 2 (15.5-ounce/400-gram) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups (about 9 ounces/250 grams) short, twirled pasta, preferably gemelli or trofie pasta
• 1 cup/215 milliliters chicken or vegetable stock
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• ¼ cup/60 milliliters lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
• 1 block halloumi (around 7 ounces/200 grams), very finely grated
• FOR THE ARUGULA (ROCKET) PESTO:
• Heaping 1/3 cup/50 grams pine nuts, well toasted
• 2 small garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 3 lightly packed cups (about 2 ounces/60 grams) arugula (rocket), roughly chopped
• ½ cup/20 grams roughly chopped parsley (leaves and tender stems only)
• ⅓ cup/90 milliliters olive oil, plus more as needed
• Kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

1

PREPARE THE WHITE BEAN SAUCE: Add the oil to a large, lidded sauté pan, and then place it over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and chile, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic is nicely golden. Stir in the thyme, beans, pasta, stock, 2 teaspoons salt and plenty of pepper, and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Set aside.

2

COOK THE PASTA AND ADD TO THE SAUCE: Half-fill a large saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta for 10-12 minutes, until almost al dente. Then transfer the pasta to the white bean sauce pot and leave to cook together for another two minutes in low heat, until the pasta is just cooked. Remove from the heat and let sit, with the lid off, for about 5 to 10 minutes. This will help it absorb more of the sauce.

3

MAKE THE PESTO: To a food processor, add the nuts, garlic, arugula (rocket), parsley, half the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Pulse a few times, scraping down the sides and pulsing again until you have a coarse paste. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the remaining olive oil, adding a touch extra if needed to loosen the pesto.

4

When ready to serve, stir the lemon juice, (I use the zest too), and half the pesto into the pasta (discard the chile, if you wish) and transfer to a large serving bowl or platter with a lip. Sprinkle over about half the halloumi, and serve with the extra halloumi and pesto to eat alongside.

Notes

Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe in the New York Times https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022548-pesto-pasta-with-white-beans-and-halloumi