Add This Canned Ingredient For Creamier Spaghetti Sauce With Extra Nutrition

Pasta night is a family dinner staple, but we're always in hot pursuit of ways to make our dinners more nutritious. You can add the rehydrated veggies from a packet of soup to make delicious spaghetti sauce, but you can also puree cannellini beans for a smooth, creamy take on Alfredo sauce that will delight your loved ones and sock you in the gut with some needed protein and fiber. You can even add the pureed beans to jarred sauce for a flavor boost that nourishes — we've seen social media posts in which cannellinis are blended with jarred marinara (take a look at our ranked list of the best pasta sauce brands for inspo) and other taste-forward Italian ingredients for a "fibermaxxed" sauce that also tastes delish.

Cannellini beans are the most common canned white bean, although not the only one widely available. One cup of these nutritious, yummy superstar legumes contains 17 grams of protein and a whopping 11 grams of fiber (per Healthline). This is to say nothing of the bean's rich helpings of iron, potassium, and folate, while containing almost no sugars or fats. Unless you are concerned about dense caloric or carbohydrate-rich foods, these white beans are a slam-dunk for those looking to fortify plain pasta. On top of their abundant nutrient load, cannellinis are also magnificently versatile, offering abundant options for adventurous home cooks who enjoy a creative challenge and customizing pasta sauces, which is a kitchen endeavor that's always enjoyable and rewarding.

If you've checked out how to use canned soups as worthy pasta sauces, then you already know that your pantry is an unexpected and fruitful source of awesome condiments. Basically, there are two schools of thought when it comes to enriching pasta with beans. You can either blend them into an existing sauce or make your own. The first option couldn't be easier. if you have any sort of blender (countertop or stick versions will work equally well), you are halfway there. Simply blend up your canned beans, which are already tender, with your sauce of choice. Feel free to dress up your sauce with fresh herbs and cheeses, either of which will add yet more nutrition and flavor. This works for red or white sauces equally well, but know that it might turn the former sauces orange depending on your ratio of beans to sauce. Given that vodka sauce is also orange, we're not complaining about the hue.

As an alternative to store-bought bottles of pasta sauce, you can puree your beans, also with your blender, then make your own sauce from scratch with the creamy, nutty beans as a foundation. White beans lend themselves surprisingly well to a convincing Alfredo sauce with the help of added cheese, but pesto makes a strong partner as well. Add sun-dried tomatoes, freshly cracked black pepper, and some Parmesan, and you might forget that you are eating beans entirely, as this sauce's texture and bold flavors belie any nutrient-stuffing. With fire-roasted tomatoes (also from a can), you can even duplicate your own marinara. We suggest a pop of lemon juice or another culinary acid to counteract any residual tinned flavor.