Pasta with black beans, squash and corn

A delicious and unusual recipe for Brazilian-inspired pasta with black beans, squash and corn. 

This is a collaborative post with Bertolli with Butter*.

Bertolli with Butter* challenged me to make an Olympics-inspired meal.

Italian food has had a big influence on Brazilian cuisine

It's estimated that around 15% of Brazilians are descended from Italian immigrants. As a result, Italian food is widely available in Brazil nowadays.

But there's more to it than that. Food is so integral to Italian culture, so important, that the early Italian immigrants didn't just import pizza, pasta and risotto, they created a whole series of new dishes.

Popular Brazilian dishes that were created by Italians include Galeto, Frango com polenta, several types of sausage and the amazing-sounding Chocotone (Panettone with chocolate chips). Source: Wikipedia.

So what Olympics-inspired meal did I decide to make?

For my Olympics-inspired meal I decided to create a vegetarian pasta dish using ingredients typically found in Brazil.

Squash, corn, black beans, coriander and lime are all common in Brazilian cooking.

But do they work with pasta? Well, yes, they do!

I wasn't sure how pasta with black beans would turn out but I was so pleased with my Brazilian pasta. The flavours go really well together and it was lovely to eat pasta with an unusual flavour combination.

I'm pretty sure I haven't had pasta with coriander before. Have you?

But, more importantly how did this go down with the kids? Well, Baby S enjoyed his, Miss R ate the pasta and the corn and R was not at all keen. But us grown-ups gobbled it all up and had seconds!

I made this dish using Bertolli with Butter*. Celebrity chef Gennaro Contaldo and Bertolli have launched a limited edition pasta shape, known as The Bertollini, which is cone-shaped. It particularly appeals to me as it comes in three flavours: spinach, beetroot and egg. A lovely use of sneaky vegetables!

When I met Gennaro Contaldo

I was lucky enough to meet Gennaro Contaldo at a cooking demo put on by Bertolli. Gennaro invited members of the audience to pick ingredients for him to cook with.

Watching him at work was amazing. In an hour he created five separate pasta sauces for the audience to try! It really was proof that creating delicious home-cooked food doesn't need to take a long time. 

More vegetarian pasta recipes you might like

• Broccoli pesto pasta
• Veggie sausage pasta bake
• Tortellini soup
• Three vegetable macaroni cheese

Pin Brazilian pasta with black beans, squash and corn for later:

How to make my Brazilian pasta with black beans, squash and corn:

Rio pasta with black beans, squash and corn

Mandy Mazliah

This delicious and unusual recipe for pasta with black beans, squash and corn is inspired by the Olympics, which are starting in under a fortnight in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Brazilian

Servings 4

Calories 491 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon Bertolli with butter or olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 350 g butternut squash peeled and diced into 1cm pieces (prepared weight)
• 150 g sweetcorn tinned, fresh or frozen
• 400 g tin of black beans
• 50 g coriander (cilantro) leaves chopped
• 1 lime cut into wedges
• 300 g dried pasta eg penne or bertollini pasta
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil.
• Heat the Bertolli in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Once melted add the onion and cook, stirring frequently for 5-7 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.
• If using dried pasta put the pasta into the pan and cook until al dente. The Bertollini pasta only takes a couple of minutes to cook so you can do this just before the sauce is cooked.
• Add the butternut squash to the pan, along with a ladleful of cooking water from the pasta. Reduce the heat and cover, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, or until the squash is soft.
• Cook the bertollini pasta now if using.
• Stir in the corn and black beans and warm through. If you're using fresh corn you may need to cook for a little longer and add a little more water.
• Drain the pasta and mix with the vegetables. You can either stir the coriander through, or serve it at the table along with the lime wedges for people to help themselves.
• Season to taste, or serve salt and pepper at the table for the adults to add if you're serving this to children too.

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide only

Nutrition

Calories: 491kcalCarbohydrates: 96gProtein: 19gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 433mgPotassium: 995mgFiber: 13gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 10383IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 118mgIron: 4mg

Keyword pasta with black beans

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Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post with Bertolli with Butter.