Recipe: Shortcut ingredients make for speedy pasta e fagioli
A simple dish that is, at its heart, a comforting clean-out-the-fridge stew, pasta e fagioli, or pasta with beans, is perfect for a 5:30 Challenge makeover. The biggest challenge? Streamlining the recipe list and trimming prep time to allow the stew enough time to cook and develop flavor. Luckily, there are plenty of shortcut ingredients available at grocery stores that can help us do just that.
The main ingredients — beans and pasta — are easy. Choose a tender canned white bean, such as cannellini, and a small, quick-cooking (10 minutes or less) pasta shape for this recipe. You’ll keep all of the bean canning liquid to help create a flavorful broth for the pasta. For a vegetable base, I like to use a frozen bag of chopped vegetables with onions. Depending on the brand, the other veggies can be anything from carrots to peppers — use whatever you have handy. I also like to throw in some pre-chopped kale and a can of flavored diced tomatoes (choose one with garlic and Italian herbs) to round out the stew. None of these ingredients require any prep short of opening cans and pulling out measuring cups, so there’s plenty of time to let the stew simmer away.
I serve the stew topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of freshly grated Parmesan, but you can easily make the meal vegan by skipping the cheese. Either way, be sure to pull out some crusty bread for sopping up all of the flavorful broth.
Shortcut Pasta e Fagioli
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 (10-ounce) bag frozen onion, pepper and celery blend (or other frozen chopped vegetable mix)
- Salt
- 4 cups pre-chopped kale
- 4 cups water
- 2 (14-ounce) cans cannellini beans, do not drain
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (or other flavored diced tomatoes), do not drain
- 8 ounces small dried pasta, such as acini di pepe, small shells or ditalini
- On the side: Parmesan cheese and crusty bread, for serving
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the frozen vegetables and a few pinches of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until thawed and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the kale and cook, continuing to stir often, until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the water, beans, tomatoes and the liquid from all of the cans. Season to taste with salt. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and return to a boil. Cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. If the liquid begins to splatter too much, turn the heat down to medium to maintain a gentler simmer while the pasta cooks.
- Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving, based on 4: 541 calories (percent of calories from fat, 22), 22 grams protein, 85 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams total sugars, 16 grams fiber, 13 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 1,030 milligrams sodium. For nutritional calculations, the salt included is defined as 1/16 teaspoon.Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
