Why This Recipe Works

Pasta, beans, and greens provide a great combination of flavors and textures for this one-dish meal. In addition to the usual creamy cannellini beans, we add pinto beans for meatiness, while Swiss chard makes an appealing twofer for the greens component. We sauté the chopped chard stems at the outset of cooking but wait until the end to sprinkle the tender leaves on top, and then we cover the pot and let the leaves steam gently off heat. A small amount of pancetta provides a meaty background, and two additions of rosemary give the dish a subtle but pervasive herbal flavor. Instead of draining and rinsing the canned beans, we mix the starchy liquid with water and a handful of grated Parmesan to produce a creamy, stew-like sauce to bring it all together. We cook the pasta separately until just shy of al dente and then finish cooking it in the broth so that it can soak up some of the broth’s meaty flavor.

Before You Begin

The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Instructions

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking. Add pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until pancetta begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in onion and chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon rosemary, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in beans and their liquid, 1 1/2 cups water, and Parmesan rind, if using, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Add pasta and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook until pasta is just shy of al dente. Drain. Stir pasta into beans and spread chard leaves on top. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit until pasta is fully cooked and chard leaves are wilted, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard Parmesan rind, if using. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and vinegar. Season with salt to taste, and serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.