Description
This Black bean pasta recipe is simple, flavorful and cooks up in just minutes. This tasty recipe offers a healthy option that your family will beg for over and over again. And since it cooks in less than 10 minutes in one pot, you can eat this any night of the week! Plus it’s versatile and offers you a way to make an Italian style bean pasta or a Southwestern version so you’ll never get tired of making it.
Ingredients
- olive oil 2 tbsp
- small onions, 2 diced
- garlic cloves, 5 chopped
- green pepper, 1 diced
- red pepper 1 diced
- black beans, 1 cup cooked
- marinara sauce or tomato sauce 1 cup
- fusilli pasta 3 cups
- water or vegetable broth 2 cups
- Italian herb mix or chili seasoning 1 tbsp
- ground cumin 1 tsp
- Cilantro or parsley to garnish, finely chopped
- salt to taste
- sugar (optional) 1/2 tsp
Instructions
Instant Pot Black Bean Pasta
First, turn the Instant Pot onto saute and heat the olive oil in the inner pot. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and onions and saute them for about 1 to 2 minutes or until they are fragrant.
Next, add the diced peppers, black beans, Italian herb mix or chili seasoning, ground cumin, salt, and sugar (if you are using it). Once they are all added, saute for another minute.
After a minute, pour in the water and give it a stir. Make sure you scrape off any food particles stuck at the bottom of the pot.
Once you have scraped down the pot, add the pasta and evenly top it with marinara or tomato sauce. When you have added the pasta, do not stir the pot! Instead, lightly press the pasta down until it’s submerged under the sauce. Doing this will allow it to cook evenly.
Next, close the lid of the pot, set the seal to closed, and pressure cook for 5 mins followed by a quick release.
Finally, carefully open the lid and give the pasta a stir. Serve it in a pasta bowl and garnish with either finely chopped cilantro or parsley.
Black bean pasta on the stove top
You can make the black bean pasta recipe on the stove top if you don’t have an Instant Pot. We highly recommend getting an Instant Pot, because it will cut down the number of dishes you need and the time it takes to cook the pasta.
Here’s what you need to do to make this on the stove top.
First, fill a large stock pot with water and bring it to a boil. Next, add the pasta and cook according to the box’s instructions. This is usually about 10 minutes, give or take.
As the water heats and the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic and saute for about 1 minute or until they are fragrant.
When the onions are ready, add the green and red peppers and saute for about 1 to 2 minutes or until they start to soften.
Next, reduce the heat and stir in the black beans, Italian herb mix or chili seasoning, ground cumin, salt, sugar (if you are using it), and tomato sauce or marinara sauce. Allow it to simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through.
Finally, drain the pasta and mix it into the sauce. Serve the pasta in a pasta bowl and garnish with cilantro or parsley.
Notes
Even though this recipe is pretty easy, everyone can benefit from helpful tips and tricks. Here’s what you can do to make this pasta painless:
Make sure you use cooked black beans. If you use raw ones, they will not cook! You can make these beans ahead in the Instant Pot using this recipe if you like.
Scrape down the bottom of the inner pot! If you don’t get all the food up, it can cause a burn notice. For more tips on avoiding the burn notice, check out our guide here.
Do not mix the pasta when you add it to the pot, you just need to submerge it in the sauce by gently pushing it down.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes