Bavette with cannellini cream, arugula, and breadcrumbs

Name: Bavette with cannellini cream, arugula, and breadcrumbs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Linguine pasta 11.3 oz; Dried cannellini beans (500 g rehydrated) 8.8 oz; Arugula 2.1 oz; Multigrain whole wheat bread 2.8 oz; Bay leaves 2 leaves; Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp; Thyme to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

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612

Calories per serving

Lactose Free
Vegetarian
Vegan

Energy Kcal 612
Carbohydrates g 110.8
of which sugars g 6.8
Protein g 25.5
Fats g 7.4
of which saturated fat g 1.23
Fiber g 14.7
Sodium mg 416

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Very low
Note plus 12 hours of soaking for the beans

PRESENTATION

Bavette with cannellini bean cream and arugula salad—seriously good—brings together some of the best things about Italian cooking, especially from Liguria and other parts of Northern Italy. This dish takes the old-school comfort of pasta e fagioli and gives it a fresh spin, swapping the usual soup for a super creamy sauce made from cannellini beans. And the beans? They’re really tender and almost a little sweet, so when blended up, you end up with a sauce that’s both rich and light at the same time. The bavette pasta slides right through that sauce, soaking up all those mellow, earthy flavors. Folks in Liguria love mixing legumes like beans with their pasta. And here? That tradition gets a little update by pairing the beans with a handful of peppery, fresh rucola and some crispy homemade toasted breadcrumbs on top. It's the kind of food that feels both rustic and a little fancy—perfect for sharing around a table with friends or family.

In Italy, people will switch up this dish depending on the season or what’s on hand—sometimes you’ll see seafood or other greens thrown in, but this version keeps it pretty classic and totally vegetarian. The combo of moist bean sauce with the slight bitter bite from arugula salad and the golden crunch from the breadcrumbs really gives you a lot to enjoy with every bite. Honestly, it's a great pick for anyone who wants something filling but not heavy, and it totally fits in with other healthy pasta dishes or quick dinner ideas. Plus, those homemade breadcrumbs? They add a little bit of that "Nonna’s kitchen" feeling. Really, it ties everything together in a simple way that just works. Whether you’re diving into Italian pasta recipes or just want a new take on creamy vegetarian pasta meals, this is the kind of dish that feels both familiar and a little bit special. It lets the ingredients shine without getting too fancy or complicated—really capturing the heart of Ligurian culinary tradition and offering a taste of Italy’s rich pasta heritage.

How to prepare Bavette with cannellini cream, arugula, and breadcrumbs

To prepare bavette with cannellini cream, arugula, and breadcrumbs, first, soak the cannellini beans for 12 hours, maybe the night before. Then drain them, rinse them with cold water, and boil them together with two bay leaves 1 for at least 40-45 minutes, removing the foam that appears on the surface with a skimmer if necessary 2. Meanwhile, cut the bread into cubes 3,

put it in a mixer, add the oil 4, salt, pepper, and a few thyme leaves 5, and pulse for a few seconds until you get coarse crumbs 6.

Finally, chop the arugula with a knife 7 and bring a pot of salted water to a boil, which will be used to cook the pasta. When the cannellini beans are cooked, remove the bay leaves 8, take out a third of the beans 9, and set them aside.

Blend the remaining cannellini beans with an immersion blender until you get a smooth and velvety cream, then season with salt 10 and pepper, and transfer it to a saucepan. Once the water has reached a boil, add the bavette and cook them al dente for about 7 minutes or one minute less than the time indicated on the package 11. Meanwhile, heat a pan without adding any fat, add the breadcrumbs 12

and toast them until they become golden brown 13. When the bavette are al dente, drain them and add them directly to the saucepan with the cannellini cream 14; add the arugula 15,

the toasted breadcrumbs 16, and the remaining cannellini beans 17 and mix over medium heat to combine everything well, adding a ladle of pasta cooking water if the sauce becomes too thick. Your bavette with cannellini cream, arugula, and breadcrumbs are ready to be served 18!

Storage

Bavette with cannellini cream, arugula, and breadcrumbs can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one day. Freezing is not recommended.

Advice

This dish has a great balance of flavors and textures! However, if you want to experiment with some substitutions, you can use borlotti beans instead of cannellini, and nuts like walnuts or toasted hazelnuts instead of toasted breadcrumbs.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.