Italian Pasta and Beans

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (180g) dried kidney beans
• 6 cups (1.4L) water
• 1 tsp (5mL) olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 cups (490g) canned stewed tomatoes
• 1 tsp (6g) salt (sea salt if on a corn-free diet*)
• 8 ounces (230g) pasta elbows, shells or macaroni
• 3 Tbsp (8g) fresh basil, chopped, or 1 Tbsp (6g) dried basil

Preparation:

Soak beans overnight. Drain off soaking water, rinse beans and drain again. Put soaked beans into a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot with 6 cups water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours until beans are tender. Drain excess liquid, leaving just enough to make a gravy-like sauce. Sauté onions, garlic, carrots and green pepper.

Add vegetables, tomatoes and salt to beans and simmer 20 minutes. In a separate pot, bring 2 quarts (1.9L) of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse well. Gently stir pasta and basil into the beans and serve.

Values per serving:
Calories: 62, Total Fat: 1 g
Fiber: 4 g

This classic Italian pasta and beans dish is irresistibly good and cheap! Kids especially love it. You can speed up cooking time by preparing beans in a pressure cooker.