Fettuccine with Leeks and White Beans

Martha Stewart has a series of Spring pastas on her website. There were several that got my attention, this one in particular. It is light and yet very hearty. I am posting the picture from Martha's website because the dish I made was delicious but it wasn't pretty.



1 tbsp olive oil
2 bunches of leeks
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth (3 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
12 ounces fettuccine
1 Lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add leeks. Cook leeks stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Use a potato masher to mash about one third of beans. Martha has you do this in the pan, but I found you couldn’t tell what was a third of the beans after you mix it with the broth. Then add beans, broth, and sage to the pan with leeks and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until sauce has thickened but is still soupy. (Martha says about 10 minutes, but I left mine on for about 20 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package. Drain; rinse under cold water until cool.

After simmering, cut your lemon in half and squeeze into the sauce then stir (don’t use a fancy juicer that will produce too much juice). Next, stir in cream and Parmesan. Last stir in the pasta

(Click here for printable recipe)