[Recipe] Spaghetti with White Bean Sauce

[Guest guest]

Tonite's dinner experiment turned out well - good enough that the bf

took home the leftover sauce for him and the kids, which is usually a

good sign. He even asked me to email him a copy of it, because it was

tasty AND easy to prepare. He figures the kids will actually enjoy it

and he can prepare it without much fuss. (The recipe, as written,

served two adults easily, with just some garlic bread as an

accompaniment. If you added a crisp green salad you could likely feed

more.)

 

I was a bit leery of this one, assuming that a white bean sauce would be

bland and not a good compliment for already fairly bland pasta. But,

after reading the recipe, I decided it was worth a try. I'm glad I did!

The red pepper gives it a bit of bite (you can always add more if you

want it spicier; I probably will next time), and the various veggies

simmering in it give it great flavour. Don't overcook your pasta, as

the sauce is thick, with lots of texture, and won't be very

complimentary if you have mushy spaghetti.

 

Spaghetti with White Bean Sauce

 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (or to taste)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped (I used a yellow cooking onion)

1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 plum tomato, finely chopped, with juices

1/2 cup canned white beans (such as navy or great northern) (I used

organic navy beans - you could, of course, soak and cook your own beans)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup vegetable stock or bean liquid (reserve it when you open the

can) (I used veg stock)

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt

8 oz dry spaghetti

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

 

To prepare the sauce, heat the olive oil in a nonstick frying pan. Add

the pepper flakes, garlic, onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook over

medium heat until lightly browned.

 

Increase the heat to high. Stir in the tomato, beans, and black pepper

and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock or bean liquid and half the

parsley. Mash some of the beans with the back of a fork to help thicken

the sauce. Boil the sauce until thick and richly flavored, about 2

minutes. (I just left it cooking while the pasta water heated and the

noodles cooked. When it got a bit too thick I added a splash of water

to thin it to the consistency I wanted.)

 

Season to taste with salt and additional freshly ground black pepper.

 

While the sauce is cooking, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large

pot. Add the spaghetti and a pinch of salt, and cook for about 8

minutes. Drain. Transfer spaghetti to a shallow bowl and spoon the

sauce on top. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and remaining parsley,

and serve at once.

 

 

--

Sherri

 

" Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than in a whole one. " - E.

B. White