Recipe: Pasta e Fagioli (adapted from Dom Deluise)

PASTA E FAGIOLI

"This is slightly adapted from the recipe in Dom Deluise's cookbook. It is incredibly quick and easy to prepare, but we love it."

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 (8 oz) can Hunt's tomato sauce
8 oz. water (just fill empty sauce can with water)
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained*
1/2 lb. uncooked ditalini pasta (if unavailable, substitute elbow macaroni)**
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese or crushed red pepper flakes (to garnish)

In saucepan, saute garlic in oil until golden brown.

Add tomato sauce and water; cook 10 minutes.

Stir in beans. While sauce continues to cook over low flame, cook pasta.

Serve sauce over pasta, sprinkled with grated cheese or red pepper flakes.

This recipe freezes well.

*Can substitute chick peas or black eyed peas for the cannellini beans. (The original recipe also suggested regular peas, but we didn't like them as much when this was reheated or served cold.)

**I only use half the amount of pasta. The original recipe said to add all of the pasta to the sauce. However, I found that it dried up too quickly that way (although still delicious), so prefer to keep them separate. If you do choose to add all of the pasta at once, leftovers will be especially delicious cold.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Teasel - adapted from Eat This, It'll Make You Feel Better by Dom Deluise, 1988