Smoked chicken, runner beans, spinach and pesto pasta

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Meat mains

Smoked chicken, runner beans, spinach and pesto pasta

Main Serves 4 20 min
A speedy weekday dinner: nutty spelt pasta with wilted spinach, runner beans and smoky chicken, all tossed in a succulent dressing of pesto and Parmesan. The beans and spinach can be replaced with any other greens you have in your veg box – just adjust the cooking time accordingly. For a pescatarian version, substitute the chicken with smoked mackerel or trout.

Ingredients

  • 300g spelt pasta
  • 200g runner beans, de-stringed with a peeler and cut at an angle into diamonds
  • 100g spinach leaves, washed and chopped
  • 2 smoked chicken breasts, sliced into batons
  • 3 tbsp pesto
  • large handful Parmesan, grated, to serve

Method

Prep time: 5 min
Cooking time: 15 min

  • Step 1

    Bring a large pan of well salted water to the boil. Add the pasta, give it a stir and cook for 4 minutes. Add the beans, bring back to the boil and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the spinach, cook for another minute and drain, keeping a little of the cooking liquid.

  • Step 2

    Place the saucepan on a low heat and add a good glug of olive oil. Add the chicken, stir for a couple of minutes and add the pasta, veg and pesto. Keep stirring gently until everything is mixed together and back up to temperature. Serve with the Parmesan.