Shorter days and waning garden-fresh options have me reaching into the pantry more often for quick yet filling dinners. Like Tomato-Basil Mac and Cheese, this week’s recipe comes together just as easily from pantry staples as from the season’s last fresh tomatoes and basil. Yet it puts a different, healthier spin on the key ingredients.
Here, cheese only appears as a garnish option, and cooked shell beans provide the main protein. It takes less time than baked mac and cheese, with fewer pots and pans to wash afterward. Yet the pastas rival each other in flavor, whether you’re using in-season ingredients or canned tomatoes and dried basil.
This recipe was inspired by bean-and-pasta combinations that fueled my first travels in Italy. Many of these featured cranberry or Borlotti beans; they’re rarely sold in cans, so I cook them, with little to no salt, from homegrown or store-bought dried beans or substitute other kidney beans. This version also relies heavily on garlic and smoky peppers. Fresh lemons have the brightest flavor and make an easy garnish, but in a pinch, substitute a couple of tablespoons of bottled lemon juice.
If you add black or green olives, I recommend using firm, brine-cured ones packed in salted water, rather than ones preserved in oil, and always avoiding cans of “ripe black olives.” These are anything but ripe; they’re actually unripen green olives that are treated and heated to turn the skin black and then packed in a light brine afterward, giving them a bland, soft, cooked taste and texture.
Smashed Bean Pasta
Serves 3-4
8 ounces spiral or tubular pasta, such as rotini or penne
2 cups cooked or 1 15-ounce can cranberry or cannellini beans, drained and divided
2 small lemons
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1 Home-Smoked Chili Pepper, crushed, or cayenne pepper to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium tomatoes, chopped, or 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup brine-cured black or green olives, sliced or minced (optional)
3 tablespoons slivered fresh basil or 1 tablespoon crumbled dried basil
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste (optional)
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta just until al dente and then drain. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, smash 1 cup of beans. Add the zest and juice of one lemon. Stir in the paprika, salt, chili and remaining beans; set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, until it begins to caramelize. Add the garlic and sauté for another one to two minutes, until it begins to turn golden. Stir in the tomatoes and bean mixture. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about five minutes, until the beans are heated through.
Toss the olives and basil with the drained pasta, add the pasta to the bean mixture and toss again until combined. Serve with lemon slices and, if desired, grated cheese.
Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger at TwiceAsTasty.com.