Pasta with White Beans & Tomatoes

A rustic Italian-style pasta sauce built on white beans, hand-crushed tomatoes, and thin strips of ham that crisp up in the skillet before the liquid goes in. Deglazing with reduced chicken broth instead of wine concentrates the savory backbone without adding fat, which is what keeps this dish light while still tasting full-bodied.

Fresh savory, basil, and Italian parsley all go in together, and each one pulls its own weight. Savory is the underrated herb here. It has a peppery, thyme-like bite that pairs naturally with white beans in Italian cooking.

Simmer until the sauce is thick but still slightly loose. It will tighten up when it hits the hot pasta, so pulling it off a minute early is better than letting it reduce into a paste.

Chef Tips

• Reduce the chicken broth yourself by boiling it down by half. Store-bought “concentrated” broth doesn’t have the same intensity.
• Crush the tomatoes by hand directly into the skillet. This gives you irregular chunks that break down at different rates, creating texture in the finished sauce.
• This sauce works best with wide or tubular pasta shapes like rigatoni, penne, or pappardelle that catch the beans in their folds.

Variations

• Skip the ham for a vegetarian version and use vegetable broth instead of chicken.
• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic for gentle heat.
• Stir in a handful of baby spinach during the last two minutes of simmering.