A ten minute meal

What you see here is beans in tomato sauce, waiting for pasta to be added.

I use canned cannellini and canned stewed tomatoes.  The sauce starts with aromatics such as garlic, celery, parsley and onions, all fined diced in 3T of olive oil until soft and turning golden, I add a can of stewed tomatoes reserving the juice.  I cook the tomatoes down breaking them with a wooden spoon, adding the juice a bit at a time.  Then, I add a can of drained and rinsed cannellini or garbanzo beans.  Keep this at low heat while the pasta is cooking.

Taste the sauce before and after you add the pasta. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a meal has come together in less than it takes the pasta to cook.

Who said Italian meals take all day to cook?
If you have basil, tear it up and sprinkle generously.
You can also add torn up arugula or spinach for added fiber and vitamins.

Stock up.

If you don't have a variety of beans in your pantry, both dry and canned, you are missing great meals for pennies a serving.

When I crave a bowl of fettuccine and beans, I can whip the meal in ten minutes. The trick is to have  all ingredients in the pantry already.

Here is enough for six people:

1 lb of fettuccine
1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes
2 cans of cannellini beans, or white navy beans, drained and rinsed
2T olive oil for the sauce
1T olive oil for last minute topping
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 C of parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon of hot pepper flakes
Salt and pepper

1/2 C of grated Parmesan cheese

Put a big pot of water to boil for the pasta with a tablespoon of salt.

In a saute' pan saute the garlic and the pepper flakes in the olive oil for a couple of minutes, then add the peeled tomatoes, saving the juice.
Cook the tomatoes down, until they are broken up and incorporated. Add a bit of the juice  until you get a thick sauce consistency.  Add the beans and heat slowly. Season with salt and pepper. Finally, add the parsley flakes and turn off the sauce until the pasta is ready.

Cook the pasta until al dente, less than the recommended time!  Taste after half the time. Then, keep tasting until the strands are just right.
 Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
Add the beans and sauce  and mix gently. 
Taste.


Serve with Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil in each bowl. With crusty bread and a glass of your favorite wine, this is a meal ready in the time it takes to boil the water.

Note: dry beans cost pennies for serving.  Canned beans will cost a bit more.  Plain whole peeled tomatoes is all you need to make a great sauce. If you have fresh parsley, or basil, or thyme, your food will taste fresher.
Dried herbs will do a good job too.

You can use any type of pasta, and any type of beans you have on hand.  This is the classic combination, however.

Soul Food

My husband is a western man, a meat and potatoes kind of guy. But, since he tried my pasta and beans, he's a convert to Mediterranean foods. This is my version of the dish my mother and her mother cooked.

You can see what's in the dish: pasta, tomatoes, beans, garlic, basil,  olive oil and parmigiano cheese.
If you have the inclination, cook your beans from scratch.  I do cook a big pot on winter days. These cannellini came from a can. Drained and rinsed, they are added to the tomato sauce I made with olive oil, garlic and fresh tomatoes, cooked down just barely, while the pasta is boiled.

The whole thing comes together in ten minutes!
Here, I'm sitting down on the deck to watch the waves.

Salute!