Springtime Greens Fusilli with Bacon and Scallions

The farmers markets here are brimming with tender and delicious baby greens. This week I found ones you don’t normally see like kale, watercress and mustard greens from a local farm so I bought a few big bags. Bitter greens are very detoxifying and spring is the perfect time for a good cleaning. I made this “greens and beans” pasta from some of them and added little bacon and some white beans to cut the bitterness of the greens. To make this dish vegetarian, the bacon could easily be omitted and just use olive oil for the fat instead of bacon grease. When you stir in the beans to the hot greens and pasta, they relax a bit and help to add creaminess to the texture. I used brown rice fusilli to add additional fiber to the dish, but it would work just as well with traditional fusilli.

Springtime Greens Fusilli with Bacon and Scallions
2 slices of bacon, diced
5 scallions, thinly sliced (white and light green only)
10 cups of baby bitter greens (like kale, mustard greens, and/or dandelion)
1/4 cup white wine
15 oz of white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed
8 oz brown rice fusilli
3 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoons lemon
2 teaspoons sea salt (or to taste)
1. Get a pot of salted water boiling. Add fusilli and cook to al dente while you are preparing steps 2-4.
2. Heat skillet to medium-high and add bacon. Fry until the bacon is crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate.
3. Add the scallions to the skillet with the bacon grease and saute for 4 minutes. Add the greens and the white wine and cover. Steam for 3 minutes and then remove the lid. Add the beans and stir everything together.
4. Add the cooked fusilli and lemon and toss to incorporate. Add Parmesan, black pepper and salt to taste and toss again. Serve immediately.