You have all been there – you stare into the fridge and think “What am I going to make for dinner?!” Sometimes I have weeks where I have a meticulous meal plan and all ingredients prepped in advance. And other weeks we have days where we fly by the seat of our pants and try to squeeze in one more meal before a grocery store trip.
Thus, on this particularly boring Tuesday I performed a little magic : )
Pasta always makes a good pantry-friendly base –
And beans…the perfect protein.
For flavor, I pulled out a pesto popsicle from the freezer. We made a huge batch of pesto this summer, and after filling up the ice cube tray we overflowed into the popsicle mold! Perfect for bigger dishes like this one.
I also added some olives from the fridge for an extra punch of flavor. {Clearly I love the Whole Foods 365 brand!}
And added final layers of flavor with parsley (found in the produce drawer) and parmesan cheese (which we always have on hand).
The final dish tasted fresh as can be (I will admit the parsley took it a long way!) and was nutritious as well – made with real food, packed with healthy fats and vegetarian protein.
Pesto Pasta with Garbanzo Beans and Olives
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
- 1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- ~1/3 cup prepared pesto
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped
- Parmesan cheese for garnish - about 1-2 ounces freshly grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse beans.
- Drain olives.
- Chop parsley.
- Thaw pesto, if necessary.
- Toss pasta with beans, olives and pesto and top with Parmesan and parsley to taste.
What are your favorite “oh no the fridge is empty!” dinners!?
Sarah says
Linguine With White Clam Sauce or Bean and Cheese Quesidillas (had last night)
I seem to always have these items in my panty.
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
That sounds delicious! Pasta and vegetarian chilis are my go-to dishes when the fridge and pantry are scarce!
Kaila @healthyhelperblog! says
Pesto is one of my favorite sauces! I love when my parents make it homemade. I’ve never thought of adding olives though! Great idea.
Linda @ The Fitty says
Was this pasta made out of beans? I’ve hear of these new thins but I’ve never tried them myself before, (and I don’t think I will because I’m paleo-keto but if I wasn’t I sure would!). I love that you buy so many things from Whole Foods–I see the 365 Everyday Value brand of the chickpeas you have there! Is your local store having any Christmas events? We recently had one called Taste the Holidays where they gave out some turkey and gravy and mashed potatoes. I thought that was pretty exciting. Is the hard parmesan cheese also from there too?
KathEats says
I think it was spinach spaghetti!
claire says
your picture, in your post, clearly says that it’s spinach spaghetti; i don’t understand why someone would think your were saying it was made of beans?!?!
Rachel says
That looks so easy and so good!
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
I love those nights you make something out of seemingly nothing. It makes ya feel pretty darned accomplished! 🙂
Annie says
That bowl of dinner looks so good! I can almost smell the flavors.
If i don’t feel like pulling something out of the freezer, then I can always fall back on scrambled egg tortilla wraps or PB&J. But my upright freezer is never without homemade frozen soups and entrees that can be defrosted in a flash. Second freezer = best food-related investment besides my kitchen remodel!
Chelsea @ Designs on Dinner says
When the fridge is empty, we usually do snack plate dinners. Wheat crackers, tuna, cheese, veggies, dip or hummus, etc. We usually have all those things on hand.
Ashley says
Quiche is usually the “the fridge is empty” meal for us!
Elyse says
That looks delicious! My go-to pantry meal is usually pasta with diced tomatoes and chickpeas. I’ll have to think about adding olives though!
mary @ minutes per mile says
black bean tacos/nachos are my go-to wing-it style recipe. we typically have avocados, greek yogurt, salsa, and black beans on hand… and chips keep for quite some time (or tortillas, which can be frozen). throw in whatever veggies are around, like peppers, corn, mushrooms, and whatever cheese you happen to have on hand!
Candice says
Taco bowls! I usually have ground meat of some sort on hand or frozen. Cook with onion if you have it, and any vegetables you need to use up. Add taco seasoning (I make my own in big batches). Put over a potato of some sort, and add anything you might have: salsa, cheese, olives, avocado.
KathEats says
Yum!
Maria says
I never think of adding beans to pasta…thanks for the idea!
Amanda @ Life To Table says
Looks great! Having healthy and basic staples on hand that covers all food groups is super important! My fresh herbs always wilt so I rarely have them on hand 🙁
Natalie @ The Ravenous Mommy says
I NEED to start making pesto popsicles!
Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties says
love it! my bf and I pull together some pretty weird meals sometimes but we’re committed to only shopping once a week- so whatever’s left in the pantry is what we have to eat!
Hannah @ Sprints and Scones says
We do the same thing! Sometimes dinner gets a little random, but it helps reduce food waste and limit frivolous shopping trips!
Sabrina says
Looks delicious. I love good pantry meals.
It’s so weird – my parsley plant was basically dead at the end of the summer, but I decided to let it be just in case. And now, at 42 degrees outside, it is seriously flourishing! I haven’t watered it since September either. It’s so nice having fresh parsley on hand for dinner.
Hannah @ eat, drink and save money says
I’ve been there! We are doing that this week too since I plan to buy a ton of groceries for visitors next week. My basil plant is my go to resource for “make-do” dinners. We always have frozen chicken or fish and can make pesto with the basil. It’s easy (relatively speaking when you have a toddler) and fresh. Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Lynn @ The Actor’s Diet says
Oatmeal. You know how to make that!
KathEats says
🙂
Livi @ Eat, Pray, Work It Out says
Uhm….I want a pesto popsicle!!!
jen says
Ok, I have to ask, how did this go over with M? Does he get different plating or anything? My 3.5 yr old former eating champ has gotten so finicky that we’re suddenly in the land of No Mixed Foods Will Be Consumed. I’m dying for some new strategies, recipes, anything. We mostly do the whole family dinner, eat or don’t eat thing. But man, it sure gets demoralizing.
KathEats says
He ate pesto noodles (“I wuv green noodles!”) but wouldn’t touch the rest.
jen says
So cute! And good to know. We’ll give green noodles a try next week.
Dana | fresh simple five says
I love creating meals on the fly (sometimes). It’s fun to see what comes together, especially when it turns out really well (like this one). We had an overabundance of basil this year. I’ll have to remember the pesto trick if that happens again.
Timmery says
Red Beans and Rice is our go to pantry meal.
Alexa says
Do you have a go to pesto recipe? I’d love to hear it!
KathEats says
We usually just add a little of this and that. Basil, olive oil, parm cheese, salt, walnuts. I will try to do an official recipe this summer!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
that is so smart to freeze your fresh pesto so you have it in the winter. I really need to start doing things like that so I can just grab them later on when I want to make a quick meal!
Alex @ get big, go to work says
Our go to ‘oh no the fridge is empty’ meal usually revolves around quinoa. We take any veggies that are starting to wilt or go past their prime and roast them up. Throw them into some cooked quinoa, add some beans and top of with meat (if we have it on hand), guac and salsa. Always salsa. We tend to have at least 4 jars in our pantry at a time, 🙂
Sagan says
This looks so pretty!
Our “oh no, there’s nothing in the fridge” solution is usually to make a date night out of it and go out for cocktails and appetizers 😀
Also, if I could eat parmesan with every meal of the day, I’m pretty sure I would do so.
Alex @ True Femme says
My go-to meal is a big bowl made of lentils, kale, persian carrots flavored with herbamere, garlic powder, and whatever else I feel like. Topped with some greek yogurt and shredded cheese…it’s amazing! And easy. I love the idea of pesto popsicles!
Ash Bear says
You now have me craving pesto in a BIG way!!
Margo says
Hey Kath, looks pretty tasty! I noticed that in your picture the cheese you are using is an Everona sheep’s milk cheese, rather than Parm (Everona has a really distinctive rind, and I know you are a big fan of their cheese). Did this have any effect on the overall flavor of your dish and would you recommend it?
KathEats says
You’re right – that was Everona. My mistake. I think Parm would sub in pretty well though. This is the Piedmont and it has a similar texture and taste (which is why I confused them!)
Leticia says
What an idea of mixing beans, olives and pasta! Have to try it!
Nikki says
Chicken, beer and a ciggy!! 🙂