Dinner · The Runner’s Kitchen
Creamy pesto, butter bean & tomato orzo
A silky one-pan pasta with blistered tomatoes, butter beans and a bright spoonful of basil pesto.
Hands-on and cooking times are estimates.
Make it yours
Ingredients & portions.
Scale the batch with servings, or edit a weight. Swap ingredients using the dropdowns. All quantities are edible weights.
Listed allergens: wheat, milk, nuts. Check every product label and cross-contact advice.
Know what’s on your plate
Nutrition, as you make it.
Per serving, based on 2 servings. Estimated from ingredients.
Vitamins, minerals & the full breakdown
- Fibre
- 2.0* g
- Sugars
- 8.9* g
- Saturated fat
- 7.0* g
- Sodium
- 244.1 mg
- Potassium
- 1,235.9 mg
- Calcium
- 166.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 126.2 mg
- Phosphorus
- 333.2 mg
- Iron
- 4.66 mg
- Zinc
- 2.69 mg
- Selenium
- 23.8* µg
- Iodine
- 8.2* µg
- Vitamin A (retinol equivalents)
- 335.8* µg
- Vitamin D
- 0.15 µg
- Vitamin E
- 5.11* mg
- Vitamin K1
- 3.9* µg
- Thiamin (B1)
- 0.31 mg
- Riboflavin (B2)
- 0.27 mg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.31* mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.09 µg
- Folate
- 133.9* µg
- Vitamin C
- 34.6 mg
- Niacin equivalents (B3)
- 8.1* mg
- Pantothenic acid (B5)
- 1.1* mg
- Biotin (B7)
- 5.1* µg
- Copper
- 0.6* mg
- Manganese
- 1.5* mg
- Chloride
- 539.2* mg
* Partial ingredient subtotal: data is missing for at least one ingredient. A dash means no usable value. Cooking losses and brand differences are not modelled.
What do these nutrients do?In the kitchen
How to make it.
- Halve the tomatoes and crush the garlic. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and cook the tomatoes for four to five minutes until their skins soften.
- Add garlic and the dry orzo. Stir briefly, then add 450 ml hot water. Simmer gently, stirring often so the pasta does not stick.
- After about eight minutes, stir in the drained beans. Add more water if the pan becomes dry, and keep cooking until the pasta is tender.
- Turn the heat low. Stir in cream cheese, pesto and spinach until the cheese melts and the leaves wilt.
- Finish with lemon juice and torn basil. Divide into 2 portions; the sauce will thicken as it stands, so loosen with water if needed.
Fit it around your training.
Why this combination?
Pasta and beans make this a substantial carbohydrate meal, while beans add fibre and some protein. Pesto, lemon and basil do the flavour work.
When it could work for you
A useful dinner after an evening run, or a meal to prepare earlier in the week. Beans and rich sauces may need more digestion time before running.
Plan food before, during & after your runStorage & leftovers.
Cool promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within one to two hours. Eat within 48 hours or freeze. Reheat once until steaming hot, adding water to loosen.
Make meal prep easierSomething for your next day.
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