Pasta With White Beans, Olives and Fennel
Updated Oct. 20, 2025
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Salt, as needed
- 8ounces short pasta, such as shells, campanelle, cavatappi or fusilli
- 5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
- ½cup torn pitted olives (black or green or a combination)
- 4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½teaspoon fennel seeds
- Crushed red pepper
- 1(15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh fennel fronds or parsley, for serving (optional)
- Parmesan, for serving (optional)
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, then season it liberally with salt; it should taste as salty as the sea. Add pasta to the pot and cook until just shy of al dente (check package directions and subtract a minute or so). Using a large mug or measuring cup, scoop out about a cup of the pasta water, then drain pasta well.
- Step 2
While the pasta is cooking, warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the olives (you should hear them sizzle) and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, fennel seeds and a large pinch of red pepper; cook until the garlic is golden, another minute or two.
- Step 3
Add the white beans and let simmer until the mixture thickens, 4 to 8 minutes, mashing some of the beans into a chunky purée.
- Step 4
Toss in the pasta and a large splash of pasta water. Using tongs, keep tossing until everything is well combined and the pasta is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, adding more pasta water as needed to make things saucy. Season with more salt if needed and toss in the herbs, if using. Serve immediately, with more red pepper flakes and cheese, if you like, and lemon wedges for squeezing.
Private Notes
Comments
I love beans with or as a substitute for pasta. Made this last night with rigatoni but with my own cooked cannellini beans. It was good. If I was to use canned beans, before adding to the pasta, I would rinse them well and then simmer in a pan for 10 minutes in a bit of stock or water with some preferred seasoning/herbs to counter the tinny taste canned beans can have.
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
@Margaret I would say choose another recipe. Melissa has tons of good ones out there
This is so good. I’ve made it several times as written. Last night, inspired by Ali Slagle’s Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas and Broccoli Rabe, I used blanched, chopped broccoli rabe in place of the olives to great effect. I fried the garlic cloves in olive oil first, then added the pepper flakes, fennel seeds and broccoli rabe, followed by the white beans and a cup of pasta water. Smashed some beans as it simmered. Tossed in the pasta, lemon juice and some parm and it was delicious.
This was very tasty, although I'd say the olives rise up as the dominant flavor against the more subdued fennel seed. I think I might give them a light crushing in a mortar and pestle next time to dial them up a bit. But this is otherwise a really creative way to turn beans into a sauce, and I look forward to riffing on it!
Since there was a fennel bulb attached to the fronds I purchased…..used this along with some gorgeous spring Vidalia onion. The rest of the recipe was followed more or less, using green olives, and some capers. We wolfed this down!