Cacio e pepe beans ’n’ greens recipe
A 15-minute wonder if there ever was one, Joe Wicks' riff on pasta dish cacio e pepe is a wholesome, speedy, seriously tasty number, packed with black pepper and Parmesan.
This thrifty dish from the healthy living guru, also known as The Body Coach, calls for just a few ingredients, makes a star of store cupboard staples and requires minimal prep, meaning it can be on the table in a quarter of an hour – what more could you ask for?
Simmering the canned butter beans in a cheesy broth gives them plenty of flavour and a lovely melt-in the-mouth texture, while the addition of vibrant, vitamin-rich Tenderstem broccoli and kale means the dish is full of the good stuff – in more ways than one. Served with slices of toasted sourdough, this makes for a great midweek main course, or would work equally well as a side dish with roast chicken or grilled fish.
The recipe features in Joe’s latest cookbook, Feel Good In 15, which is not just filled with recipes and meal ideas, but also packs in life hacks, tips and nuggets of advice to help you feel your best every day. He says: "This is probably one of the stranger-looking recipes in this book, but don’t judge it on its looks alone, because this cheesy dish tastes magnificent and it’s a great one for the all-important gut health.”
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Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
- 400 g can of butter beans
- 0.5 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 40 g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 150 g Tenderstem broccoli
- 100 g kale
Details
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired
- Recipe Type: Dinner
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 5 mins
- Cooking Time: 10 mins
- Serves: 2
Step-by-step
- Fill the kettle and put it on.
- Set a high-sided frying pan (skillet) with the oil over a medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Tip in the butter beans, along with any liquid from the can. Bring to a simmer, then add the pepper, Parmesan and red wine vinegar. Don’t skimp on the pepper here – it’s the main flavour, and you want it to be almost spicy.
- Pour the just-boiled kettle water into a saucepan and set over a high heat. Boil the broccoli and kale for 2-3 minutes, until tender. Drain, season well and set aside.
- Divide the beans between serving bowls, then top with the broccoli and kale and a little extra grated Parmesan.
Recipe adapted from Feel Good in 15 by Joe Wicks (HQ, HarperCollins), available now in hardback, eBook and audiobook. Photography by David Loftus.
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