The eagle-eyed among you (all of you?) may have noticed the absence of any small, black-skinned oval beans in this pot. Do you feel cheated? Were you hoping to see dots of creamy, ebony-skinned beans caught up in a tangle of saucy pasta and wholesome greens? Well, even if you were – and that is another direction this recipe can lead you – please believe me when I tell you that black beans are present – just in the form of pasta.
You will notice if you even glance at the archive that I am not really a pasta person. Not because of any anti-carb thing going on – heaven’s no, just look at my toast-filled feed on Instagram – just really that we tend to fancy other things instead. I don’t really do baked potatoes either, although I have nothing against them in principle, especially with an oven-crisped, Maldon-salted skin.
If I am honest it is probably that I would prefer both with butter. And cheese. And not really in moderation. So, I guess not having much in the way of pasta and baked potatoes leads me from temptation. For the most part (My family may be laughing if they are reading this. My last visit to an Italian restaurant saw me tackling a comforting pile of creamy pesto pasta. Go figure.).
Pasta is however the saviour of the time-poor cook. Or the cook with toddlers needing cuddled, homework needing monitored, petty fights to referee. So, pasta is a fact of life. But does it always need to be wheat – whether white or wholemeal? Of course not.
Most of us will have seen some gluten-free pastas for sale on our local grocer’s shelves. Maybe it is even your go-to pasta, having ditched the real thing as such choices became available. Over the years I have given quite a few a try – and been singularly unimpressed. Mostly it’s been the texture. Perhaps it has been my fault in pretty much ignoring packet directions. But I recently read about black bean pasta and, with disregard for previous negative experiences, decided I needed it in my life. Only two ingredients on the label – woo hoo! Duly purchased from Holland & Barrett (they were the only ones that seem to stock it in the UK) I boiled it up and, readers, it is delicious. Firm, very gently beany, sexy (!) – we all loved it.
I’m not saying ooh go out and get this particular pasta: this easy recipe will be just fine and dandy with whatever is your favourite linguine-type pasta. But if you fancy a punt on something really rather different but reassuringly familiar, this is a sure bet. Add black beans if you like, but believe me when I tell you that it is plenty filling without anything else added. And the spirals of courgette are not necessary either but I never can resist the opportunity to add another vegetable to a dish, and thin curls of courgette fit in perfectly.
I’ve given options for using harissa and not using harissa as this ingredient can be a bit spicy for some. Making homemade harissa helps control the heat (here is my harissa recipe, and feel free to halve or even quarter the chilli content, or use mild chillies) but bought stuff can be very good. The suggested honey or maple syrup tames this wild and exuberant North African staple, but obviously for children – if they dare eat black pasta – leave out the harissa and perhaps run some “normal” pasta sauce through it, or just golden nuggets of sautéed garlic.
The whole recipe quickly produces a luscious pile of slippery, fiery, kinda sweet noodles and vegetables to delve into with two forks, and a lusty appetite. Enjoy. xx
Honey-Harissa Greens and Black Bean Pasta (easy, vegan and gluten-free)
Pasta made lighter, spicier and maybe a little bit nicer.
Not keen on spice, or need to feed a young family? Leave out the spice and just add in sautéed slices of garlic, perhaps with a wee bowl of harissa for those who want it. xx
Inspired by a recipe from Danielle Omar of Food Confidence.
200g Tenderstem ® broccoli, purple sprouting broccoli or rapini, trimmed and sliced into 5-inch lengths (thicker stems halved too)
100g baby plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp best olive oil, divided use & some of it as smoked olive oil if liked
2 tbsp (or as you wish) rose harissa (mine, yours, or bought, such as Belazu or al’Fez brand)
1-2 tsp honey or maple syrup
1 medium courgette, julienne sliced or spiralised and tossed with a little lemon juice if you like
1 x 200g pack of Explore Asian organic black bean spaghetti or same of your chosen pasta
Options for garnishing: diced avocado, sautéed prawns, warmed black beans, toasted pumpkin seeds
1. Heat the oven to 180C/350F.
2. Toss the broccoli and tomatoes in 1 tbsp of the olive oil and lay on a baking tray. Roast for eight minutes.
3. While the vegetables are in the oven boil a large saucepan of salted water and add in the pasta. Cook for six minutes, or as packet directs for al dente.
4. Using tongs or a wide slotted spoon, lift the pasta from the water and place it into a wide, flat-bottomed serving dish. Let some of the cooking water cling to the strands. Mix the harissa, honey or maple syrup and the remaining oil (using some smoked olive oil if you have any) and fork it through the pasta. Fork in the courgetti after the harissa is pretty well distributed. Top the dish with the roasted broccoli and tomatoes, and any garnishes as suggested above. Enjoy immediately.
Note: This is an exceptionally high fibre meal so be sure to drink plenty of water or other beverage to accommodate the fibre. In fact, it has loads of good stuff: one cup of cooked black bean spaghetti is 180 calories with 25 grams of plant protein and 12 grams of fibre, not too mention 13 percent of your RDA of calcium, and 36 percent of iron. Amazing!
Milder Version: In place of the harissa, sauté 2-3 sliced garlic cloves with the oil, adding a little thick balsamic vinegar if you like.
Related Recipes From Others
Warm Tenderstem and Samphire Bulgur Salad with Herbs – Tinned Tomatoes
Harissa Spring Greens & Butternut Squash – Foodbod
Mexican Black Bean Spaghetti – Veganosity
Vegan Black Bean Spaghetti with Paprika Sauce – Going Cavewoman
Black Bean Pasta with Olives and Cauliflower – Food Confidence
More Harissa-using Recipes from Food To Glow
Moroccan Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Pan-fried Chickpeas, Capers and Kale
Quick and Spicy Crab Parcels (with Vegan Option)
rose petal harissa by food to glow
You always manage to come up with something exciting I’d love to try Kellie. You are such an inspiring cook. Thanks for the recipe and thanks for linking to me. Stumbled and pinned.
That’s really kind of you to say, but er, snap!
Thanks for the heads up on the black bean spaghetti!! Definitely going to see if I can find it.
I’m so honored my recipe was your inspiration! Your photos are beautiful!
I was so pleased to come up on it, Danielle. It’s a great recipe. With beautiful images too! I’m glad you are happy with the link and “nod”. 🙂
This looks so delicious…. Something I would certainly go for. As a cancer survivor I recognize how important nutrition is for well being and just getting through treatment.
And also, I love your blog. I just want to get a fork and start eating. 🙂
Thanks so much, Babs. I have been working with cancer patients and their families for many years now and can attest to the fact that eating well (but not neurotically so) is a huge boost to overall health, recovering from cancer and also living with a cancer diagnosis. I hope what I do here helps in some way. Do have a look around and let me know what you think. 🙂 I also have a cancer and nutrition section too.
I’ll be sure to do that Kellie. It’s been 17 years since I was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. I had no symptoms until the last few months and I was too young for screening. My friends were sending me all these crazy nutrition books while I was getting chemotherapy and radiation. I wasn’t interested because I could hardly eat. Like you, I believe in moderation. I will looks around your site more. Take care, Barbara aka, Babs
All the very best to you. Good for your friends for sleuthing for you. Sometimes medical professionals ignore the benefits of and are unsupportive of nutrition and healthy eating, but we know better!
This pasta looks DELICIOUS.
I’ve never heard of black bean noodles before this — you’ve made me excited to try them! I wonder how they’re made!? It seems difficult to make noodles out of beans!
Anyway, thanks for the easy and yummy looking recipe! Pasta truly is a staple, timesaver, and lifesaver! This will be a good dish to make when I’m so hungry that I need to make dinner asap!
http://www.peanutbutterandle.wordpress.com
I think, like other bean pastas, the raw dry beans will be activated, dried again then ground into flour before mixing with water to make a pasta dough. But I’m glad someone else is doing that laborious process for me!
Cool! Thanks for answering my question! Haha me too ☺️
Wow! Black bean spaghetti sounds great. Very cool idea.
I’m not a pasta person either, but this black bean version looks so cool! Another lovely dish 🙂 and thank you for including my recipe in your list xx (ps I made your relish yesterday – very nice 🙂 )
You’re very welcome. I could hardly not have one of your harissa recipes here!
🙂 thank you xx
Lovely recipe, Kellie! I’ve seen bean pastas popping up in Stockholm over the past year (black, white, soy) and now they seem to be everywhere! I also have been loving adding some shredded or spiralized zucchini to pastas, and bean pasta is perfect for sneaking in extra fiber and protein. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks so much Katie. I am just going to place an order for a 6-pack of this pasta so that I don’t ever run out! What is white bean pasta made from?
Presumably white kidney or cannellini beans? The Swedish ingredients just list white beans.
Ah. I’ve never seen that but I’ll look it up. If it’s as nice as this one then white, blood sugar-shooting white pasta need never be eaten!
Update: I’ve scoped out all the bean pastas, and the spaghetti or linquini style long pastas are all made from either black beans, soy, or a green version made from edamame (still soy). But I’ve found pasta shapes (rigantoni and whatnot) made from chickpeas and red lentils! So many great high fiber high protein options now!
Wow, Katie! Excellent sleuthing! My fave regular grocery store used to carry fresh chickpea spaghetti in the chilled cabinet but not seen it for awhile. I’ll have to have a good trawl around my fave health food/organic shop, Real Foods, and look at the high-fibre/high-protein options. Pasta is an established fact of life so it’s great to choose the healthiest options *most*of the time. Thanks for checking back in. 🙂
This is an amazing dish Kellie. Black bean pasta is great and I’m always up for harissa in my meals. But I especially love the mix of pasta and spiralized zucchini. Lovely!
Aw cheers, Katie. :-)What do you do with your black bean pasta. Any links?
I like them in noodle soup bowls like this one: http://www.wholenourishment.net/blog/2014/02/chipotle-miso-noodle-soup.html
Or noodle dishes similar to yours. This one has an Asian spin: http://www.wholenourishment.net/blog/2014/04/lime-tamari-noodles-with-asparagus.html But really loving your zucchini and black bean noodle combo. This is on my list to make! 😀
Agree with everyone, what an awesome recipe! İ will look out for black bean pasta in Germany, İ hope İ can find it. İ will pin this too it looks so delicious😋 thank you for sharing!
Hi Deniza. Thanks for your very kind comment. I think you will get it on Amazon (I hate recommending that behemoth, but…) if you can’t find it in German health food stores or German online companies. I’m off to ores a 6 pack of it! It is much, much more satisfying to eat than ordinary wheat pasta.
Now this looks really yummy Kellie, and I do love pasta….in fact my family have to beg for non-pasta dishes….so I will be trying this, and all with homegrown goodies 🙂 perfect use for courgettes!
What a lovely colourful recipe Kellie! I am off to look for some blackbean pasta now!
looks stunning – my mouth is watering based on the flavour combinations!
Gorgeous colours in this dish Kellie. So fresh and vibrant. I also had no idea black bean pasta existed, thanks for introducing it to me.
Hi Kellie, love everything about this dish, will definitely be checking into the black bean pasta, sounds delicious.
I have been wanting to try black bean pasta. I will have to give this a try!
I’ve never heard of black bean pasta, and now I desperately need it in my life – oh my this sounds AMAZING!
Black bean pasta sounds very interesting. Great dish as always Kellie
I’ve never heard of black bean pasta! This sounds awesome and it looks so incredibly delicious, Kellie! 🙂
This looks delicious! Looking forward to trying it!
Black bean pasta is so yummy–I can’t get enough of it!
HONEY IS NOT VEGAN
I’ve given maple syrup as an alternative. It’s mentioned a few times