Twenty Minute Pasta with Beans and Greens Recipe
This recipe--as I say about all the recipes that I post on this blog--is really easy to make, nutritious, and super delicious. And it only takes twenty minutes (or less) to prepare, granting you have your beans cooked and have good knife skills (in other words, if you can chop things fast). The only meat in the recipe is the chicken broth, but it can easily be vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable broth. If you do prefer to have animal protein in this recipe almost any poultry or meat (or even fish) would be good, as would a bit of ham, bacon, or smoked sausage. It would just take a little longer to cook. I also doused it with a liberal helping of Parmesan cheese (which is not listed in the recipe). Anyhow, here's a few pictures of it being prepared; the recipe follows.
Beans and Greens
Serves 4
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon crushed hot pepper
½ teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon fennel seed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 cups cooked beans
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups (about 5oz) chopped fresh
spinach
½ pound whole wheat pasta
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a
heavy pot and add the onion, green pepper, and garlic; saute for a
couple minutes. Stir in the salt, paprika, hot pepper, basil,
oregano, and fennel seed; stir and cook for another minute. Add the
tomatoes, beans, and broth. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower it
to a simmer. Simmer the bean mixture for about 10 minutes, or until
it reduces by 1/3 and start to thicken. Then stir in the spinach and
cook for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in plenty of
boiled water. Drain the pasta and add it to the beans and spinach,
allowing it to absorb some of it's flavor.
Comments