Everyday kitchen · Easy
One-pot white bean & spinach pasta
A gentle weeknight supper with whole-wheat pasta, creamy white beans and spinach. One pot keeps cleanup small; stir and check the pasta as it cooks.
Estimated nutrition
Per portion and for your whole batch. These are ingredient-based estimates, not laboratory-tested nutrition facts. Optional ingredients are excluded.
Nutrition is approximate and may be incomplete where an exact food-composition match is unavailable. Missing values are never counted as zero.
| Nutrient | Per portion | Whole batch |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 442 kcal | 1769 kcal |
| Protein | 20.4 g | 81.6 g |
| Carbs | 76.7 g | 306.8 g |
| Fiber | 16 g | 64 g |
| Sugars | 2.5 g | 10 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 8.7 g | 34.8 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.4 g | 5.6 g |
| Sodium | 258 mg | 1031 mg |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
USDA FoodData Central references. Brands, food varieties, preparation and portion size change the result. Added sugars assume plain, unsweetened ingredients; for prepared breads and sauces, a range shows zero to the reference food’s total sugar because the added amount is unspecified.
Ingredients, sources & assumptions
All listed edible food and oil are counted as eaten. Cooking losses and final cooked weight are not measured. Some ingredients use a stated reference food or a proxy for a missing nutrient. No personalized dietary advice.
Pasta, whole-wheat, dry (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) · 280 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceBeans, cannellini, canned, sodium added, drained and rinsed · 500 g in the original batch
Cannellini beans are the reference for unspecified white beans; other varieties and brands differ. Missing sugar and cholesterol use generic undrained canned white beans as a proxy. Missing saturated fat uses that proxy’s saturated-to-total-fat ratio applied to the drained/rinsed cannellini total fat. The primary source supplies other nutrients.
USDA food reference USDA supplementary referenceSpinach, raw · 200 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceOil, olive, salad or cooking · 20 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceBeverages, water, tap, drinking · 900 g in the original batch
Generic USDA tap water reference; local sodium and mineral content varies.
USDA food referenceCalculation version 2. Source records and method are documented in our nutrition guide.
Nutrition guidanceLet’s make it
Amounts below match your selected batch. Follow each short step, and use timers as reminders to check the food.
Equipment
Pot sized to the batch, with room to stir · Spoon · Kitchen scale · Can opener (if needed) · Colander or sieve
- 1
Start the pasta
Put 280 g dry short pasta, 900 ml tap water and 20 g olive oil in a pot sized to your batch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, then reduce to a steady simmer. Once it simmers, cook uncovered and stir often. Begin checking about 3 minutes before the package’s shortest cooking time; move to the next step while the pasta is nearly tender but still firm in the center. Cold-start pasta may cook faster than the package timing.
- 2
Add beans and spinach
When the pasta is nearly tender, gently stir in 500 g drained, rinsed white beans and 200 g washed spinach. Simmer and stir for about 3–5 minutes more, until the pasta is tender and beans are steaming hot. If it dries before the pasta is ready, add small splashes of tap water as needed.
- 3
Rest briefly, portion and serve
Remove from heat and let stand for 2 minutes to thicken, then divide into the selected portions. Cool any child’s portion to a comfortable temperature. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Make it work for you
For kids & different preferences
Mash beans and cut pasta to suit your child’s development. Leafy spinach can be chopped finely before cooking. Choose soft textures and shapes for your child’s development. Young children should sit upright and be supervised while eating and should never eat in a moving car or stroller. This is a family meal, not infant-feeding guidance.
Storage & packed lunches
Refrigerate promptly in shallow covered containers at 40°F / 4°C or colder. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F / 32°C. For trips, pack in an insulated bag with ice packs and keep cold until eaten. Use within 3–4 days.
Freezing & reheating
Freeze cooled portions for up to 2 months for quality; pasta will be softer. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Reheat leftovers to 165°F / 74°C, stirring and checking several places. Add a little water if needed.
If something looks different
Pasta shapes absorb water at different rates. Keep stirring and judge tenderness, not just time. A bigger batch may need a larger pot and more time. This supper is intentionally mild; adults can season their own portions after serving.
Print & sharing options
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Something wrong with an ingredient or instruction? Tell usVersion 1 · Updated 2026-10-23
Bethany’s Kitchen · /recipes/one-pot-white-bean-spinach-pasta · Original recipe instructions and vector illustration created for this project. Not physically kitchen-tested or human-reviewed.