Pasta Fagioli

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

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

Directions

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

* Allergy notes: People following a corn-free diet should avoid iodized salt since it contains dextrose, which should be avoided by those allergic to corn.

Nutrition Facts
Calories: 246
Fat: 1g
% fat calories: 4%
Cholesterol: 0mg
Fibre: 12g