GERD Friendly Garden Herb White Bean Pasta Bake with Spinach

Total time1 hr 5 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time45 min

GERD Friendly Garden Herb White Bean Pasta Bake with Spinach

Pasta bakes are pure comfort food, but most versions lean heavily on tomato sauce — a classic trigger for reflux sufferers. This one takes a completely different route, building its rich, deeply savory base from roasted red bell peppers, leeks, and fennel blended smooth with broth and a trio of dried herbs. The result is a creamy-looking, velvety sauce that coats every tube of pasta without a drop of tomato or anything overly acidic. Cannellini beans add satisfying protein and heft, while a generous handful of baby spinach folds in for color and nutrition. Fresh basil and parsley stirred in at the end keep things bright and garden-fresh, and the bubbling mozzarella and Parmesan topping gives you that golden, cheesy finish everyone wants from a bake. It makes six servings, so it's ideal for a family dinner or a week of easy lunches that won't leave you reaching for antacids. Hearty, herbaceous, and genuinely craveable — this is the kind of dish that makes eating carefully feel like anything but a compromise.

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the pasta

12 oz penne or rigatoni pasta
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1 tbsp salt

For the sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium leeks, white and light-green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
Ingredient note
Leek can worsen reflux in some people, but the small amount in this recipe (~1/3 of a leek per serving) is likely tolerated by many with GERD. If you prefer to always avoid leek, please tap it and change its rating to Red.
1 medium fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
Chef's tip
Swap it in for an equal amount of the oil or butter the recipe cooks with - do not add it on top of the existing fat.
1 jar (12 oz) roasted red bell peppers, drained
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp salt

For the bake

2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
5 oz baby spinach
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

For the topping

1 cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tbsp salt, and cook the pasta until 2 minutes shy of al dente — it should still have noticeable resistance at the center. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.
2
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the sliced leeks and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the leeks are translucent, about 8–10 minutes.

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