Green Bean Pasta
This green bean pasta combines bacon, juicy tomatoes, and a touch of butter for a quick 30-minute dinner. It’s full of fresh flavors and so easy to make.
Green Bean Pasta Recipe
And here we have a 30ish-minute pasta dinner made with some common pasta ingredients and one maybe not-so-obvious ingredient which happens to be green beans.
I was inspired by a lonely bag of frozen green beans and realized green beans often pull side dish duty so why not pull them into the main dish party? Well, I gotta tell ya – it works, friends.
This green bean pasta recipe is a quick 30-minute dinner: lightly sauced pasta with a medley of green beans, tomatoes, and bacon, also known as a delicious trifecta. Ready to try it?
Ingredients
- Farfalle – I like to use a short pasta shape for this recipe – farfalle (bowtie pasta) is great, or you could use penne pasta.
- Bacon – Slice the strips into half-inch pieces.
- Chopped garlic cloves
- Frozen cut green beans – Frozen ones work great because they are already par-cooked, so they cook fast. You can use fresh green beans, but you will need to cook them a little longer in the pan.
- Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Unsalted butter
- Balsamic vinegar
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley
How to Make It
Get the pasta going in a pot of boiling water. You can make the rest of the pasta dish while it cooks.
Cook the bacon pieces in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once it’s rendered its fat (after about five minutes or so), add the frozen green beans, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Stir it all together, cover the pan, and cook them for a few minutes.
Take the lid off and add the butter to the pan. Stir, and once the butter has melted, add in the balsamic. Adjust the heat to medium and give the green bean mixture a stir ever so often until the pasta is done cooking.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir. Mix in the parsley and cheese, and the green bean pasta is ready to enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- If you use fresh green beans, be sure to trim the ends and cut the beans into smaller pieces. Don’t forget they will take longer to cook, so add a few minutes of cooking time after you cover the pan.
- Got leftovers? They will keep in the refrigerator for three days. You can warm them up in the microwave or enjoy them cold.
I hope you give this green bean pasta a try!
Happy easy cooking,
More 30-Minute Pasta Recipes
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PrintGreen Bean Pasta
Bacon and green beans are a match made in heaven and make a simple 30-minute pasta dinner. Add some juicy cherry tomatoes, a touch of butter, and a glug of tangy balsamic, and you get a simple and lightly sauced green bean pasta full of flavor.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 ounces farfalle
- 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2” pieces
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 3 large cloves)
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut green beans
- 5 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Boil the pasta following package directions. While the pasta cooks, prepare the rest of the dish.
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat for about five minutes or until it starts to render its fat. Add the garlic, green beans, tomatoes, salt and pepper and stir. Cover the pan and cook it all together for three to four minutes.
- Uncover the pan and add the butter. Stir until it’s melted, and then add the balsamic and stir. Adjust the heat to medium and stir occasionally until the pasta is done cooking.
- Add the drained cooked pasta to the pan and stir to coat it in the light sauce. Add the parsley and Parmesan, stir again, and serve. Garnish with additional grated Parmesan and chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
I’ve made this dish with fresh green beans, too, and they work fine but they take longer to cook. If you try it, be sure to trim the beans and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for three days. You can warm them up or enjoy them cold straight from the fridge.
Nutrition
- Calories: 459
- Sugar: 5.6g
- Sodium: 384.9mg
- Fat: 21.5g
- Saturated Fat: 9.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 51.8g
- Fiber: 4.2g
- Protein: 13.8g
- Cholesterol: 43.2mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Post updated from the archives. First published in April 2020.