Whole Wheat Pasta With Greens, Beans And Pancetta

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 slices sandwich bread, torn into quarters
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 6 garlic cloves, minced, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 3 ounces pancetta
• 1 cup minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 lb kale, rinsed but not dried, thick stems trimmed off, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 13 1/4 ounces whole wheat spaghetti (weight may vary by brand, you want about 1 pound)
• 4 ounces fontina cheese, 1 cup grated

Recipe

• 1 make garlic breadcrumbs: in a food processor, pulse bread until coarsely ground.
• 2 heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. stir in 1 tablespoon garlic; cook stirring constantly until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. salt to taste and remove to a small bowl.
• 3 wipe out skillet with paper towels. heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. add the pancetta and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes. with a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl.
• 4 add the onion to the pan and cook until starting to brown, 5 minutes or so. add remaining garlic and red pepper flakes. cook another 30 seconds.
• 5 add half the greens to the pan and toss until starting to wilt, about 2 minutes. add remaining greens and broth and 3/4 tsp salt. cover (pan will be full) and increase heat to high and bring to a strong boil. reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, tossing occasionally until greens are tender, about 15 minutes.
• 6 stir in the beans and pancetta. and cook until heated through. cover and remove from heat.
• 7 meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot for the pasta. add salt to taste and the pasta. cook stirring often, until pasta is just shy of al dente. (refer to package directions).
• 8 drain pasta and return to pot. add the greens/beans/pancetta mixture to pasta and toss to combine. cook over medium-high heat until pasta absorbs most of the liquid, about 2 minutes.
• 9 stir in the fontina cheese and serve immediately with garlic breadcrumbs.