This recipe is based on traditional pasta fagioli but customized to what’s in my refrigerator and cabinets. It serves four large or eight small portions.
Ingredients:
*1 stock celery or one large carrot
* 1 red or green pepper
*1/2 yellow or red onion
1 cup of dry elbow macaroni (chickpea, lentil, or rice pasta works great, too)
*1/4 cup tomato paste
*4 cups veggie broth
*1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
*1/4 tsp dried oregano
*salt and pepper to taste
*3 cups of cleaned, chopped greens (kale, swiss chard, and/or spinach all work great)
*1 (15 oz can of cannelini, chickpea, navy, kidney, or your favorite bean or whatever you have in your cabinet)
*2 Tbls of nutritional yeast (optional)
Directions:
1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onions, and peppers, sautéing for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add water as needed to prevent sticking
2. Stir in dry pasta and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Mix in tomato paste until evenly distributed, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Pour in veggie broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Add red pepper flakes and oregano. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
5. Add chopped greens and cook until wilted, 3-4 minutes.
6. Stir in beans and cook until pasta is tender, 4-5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and add nutritional yeast if desired.
By Joan Marie Gagnon—Joan is an active member of the Foxboro, MA, USA Rotary Club and ESRAG’s Plant-Rich Diet Task Force. She is passionate about whole food and a plant-based lifestyle and co-founded Veg Your Way—Health At Any Age. She is a certified plant-based coach and ambassador through the Food Revolution Network and holds a Plant-Based Nutrition certificate from eCornell.
The ESRAG Plant-Rich Diet Task Force stands ready to help individuals, clubs, and districts reduce their environmental impact and improve human health through healthier dietary choices. Our webpage is loaded with helpful resources, and you can reach us at [email protected]. Like us on Facebook or Instagram.
Or take our 15-Day Plant-Rich Diet Challenge.
