Fusilli with Green Beans, Pancetta, and Parmesan

Combine fresh green beans, Parmesan, and pasta, along with tasty pancetta to create a creamy and cheesy dish. 

Combining the hot pasta water with the Parmesan cheese creates a light and flavorful sauce that clings to the fusilli and beans and ties the whole dish together. 

Serve this pasta and green bean dish either as a main course for a light dinner with a salad and garlic bread or as a side dish for a roast, chicken, or a steak for an amazing dinner. 

Between the richness of the cheese, the tasty pancetta, and the fresh green beans, the flavors of this dish come together to create a meal or side dish that is hard to resist. Plus, this fusilli and bean dish is so easy to make. 

Ingredients in this Pasta Dish:

Pasta: Fusilli or another twisted pasta. There are plenty of nooks and crannies on fusilli to capture the sauce. 

Pancetta: Use pancetta that comes cut into small squares (not the thinly sliced pancetta), or pancetta that you can cut into squares yourself. If you can't find pancetta, you can substitute thick cut bacon cut into small pieces. 

Green Beans: French-style green beans. 

Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated. 

Butter: Unsalted and room temperature. 

Garlic, salt, and pepper. 

To Make this Fusilli with Green Beans and Pancetta with Parmesan:

First, cook the pasta to just al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of the pasta cooking water. In the meantime, cook the pancetta, along with some garlic cloves, in a skillet for about 4 minutes. 

Next, add the beans to the pancetta and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the beans are bright green. Season with salt and pepper and remove the garlic cloves. Then, add the pasta to the skillet along with some of the pasta water and the butter. Add a little more pasta water and most of the Parmesan, saving some for topping the finished dish. Toss everything together thoroughly. 

Finally, transfer everything to a serving dish, season with salt and pepper, and serve with more Parmesan. 

Serve this dish right away. Leftovers are still delicious and can be saved for later and reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop. If you know you will have leftovers, it's a good idea to save extra pasta water in case the dish is a little dry. 

Recipe Variations: 

As mentioned above, you can substitute thick cut bacon for the pancetta. 

For the beans, you can substitute Chinese long beans, Romano beans or snap beans. Sugar snap peas would also work with this dish. 

For the cheese, freshly grated Pecorino Romano can also be substituted for the Parmesan. 

More Great Pasta Dishes to Try:

Pasta and Cheese with Cauliflower

Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta

Pasta with Zucchini and Sausage

Pasta Carbonara Torte

This week, the From Our Dinner Table group is sharing recipes for dishes featuring macaroni. 

Must Make Macaroni Recipes

• Baked Macaroni and Cheese Bites from Creative Cynchronicity
• Beer and Brats Mac and Cheese from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Club Sandwich Macaroni Salad from That Recipe
• Fusilli with green beans, pancetta, and Parmesan from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Spicy Baked Mac and Cheese from Magical Ingredients

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Fusilli with Green Beans, Pancetta, and Parmesan

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Combine fresh green beans, Parmesan, and pasta, along with tasty pancetta to create a creamy and cheesy dish. 

Ingredients

• Salt for pasta water and for seasoning
• 1/2 pound fusilli or other twisty pasta
• 4 ounces pancetta, cut into 3/8 inch squares
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. In a medium pot, bring salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until barely al dente, about one minute less than recommended on the package directions.
2. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of the pasta water.
3. In a 10-inch skillet, heat the pancetta over medium heat and cook for about a minute. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beans and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the beans are crisp-tender and bright green. Remove the garlic cloves from the pan and season the beans with salt and pepper.
4. Add the pasta, 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and the butter. Stir everything together to combine. Add an additional 1/4 cup of pasta water and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan. Stir everything and season with salt and pepper. Add more pasta water if needed.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

459

Fat (grams)

22 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

10 g

Carbs (grams)

49 g

Fiber (grams)

3 g

Net carbs

46 g

Sugar (grams)

3 g

Protein (grams)

16 g

Cholesterol (grams)

46 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2025/07/fusilli-with-green-beans-pancetta-and.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

pasta, pancetta, beans, Parmesan

Side dish

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Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine, June/July 2009.