Budget Friendly Meal: Lemon Angel Hair Pasta with White Beans and Basil

This is the second time pasta has appeared in this particular series, but this time, it's not covered with a thick sauce. You're going to be surprised at how flavorful this pasta is with only a few ingredients. This is a perfect recipe to prepare in the summer when you can get fresh basil and tomatoes from the garden. Mushrooms and thin strips of bell pepper would be great additions to this dish too!

Lemon Angel Hair Pasta with White Beans and Spinach

Servings: 4 Cost per Serving: $2.62

6 ounces angel hair pasta (half a box)
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemons, zest and juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1, 6 -ounce package of spinach, chopped
1 bunch basil, chopped (1/2 cup, packed)

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

  2. When it's done, add it to a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.

  3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining olive oil.

  4. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn it.

  5. Add the lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper and tomatoes.

  6. Sauté the tomatoes until they start to break down, about 6 minutes.

  7. Add the spinach and sauté it until it wilts, about 3 minutes.

  8. Turn the heat off and add the basil, tossing it with the other ingredients.

  9. Pour the spinach and tomato mixture over the pasta and toss it together.

Note about the Video:

In the video, I only used 1 package of spinach, but this dish can definitely handle an entire bag.