Saturday, June 04, 2011

White Beans and Bow Tie Pasta

Here's the first food blog of my June Blogging Challenge!

We were wanting to do something light and "summery" the other night, and I thought of this recipe. It was something we first tried many years ago at my grandmother's house, and we've been enjoying it ever since. It's actually very simple, and yields great results with very little effort. The great blends of colors and flavors gives it a summer feel, and since we've had summer weather lately, it seemed appropriate.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups cooked Navy/Great Northern/Canellini beans
1 large tomato, chopped (~1 and 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup fresh parsley or basil, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 oz.)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 box bow tie pasta

Directions:
In a 12" skillet, heat olive oil over low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes or until lightly colored and fragrant. Stir in beans, tomatoes, and minced herbs and cook for 7 minutes, or until heated through and tomato has released its juices. Sir in the Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Serve over cooked bow tie pasta. Serve hot or at room temperature. Will keep for 2 days. Garnish with basil leaves, if desired. Serves 4 as a main dish, or 8 as a side dish.


See, simple! And it tastes great, too. I will have to admit though, this time we used fresh basil (we usually use a combination of dried parsley and basil) and it wasn't as flavorful. I would say use a combination of the two as opposed to just one or the other. And if you use fresh instead of dried, you'll need a little extra. Just my opinions, but judge for yourself! And check out this picture of the final result of our meal, which included a salad and garlic bread as side dishes.


3 comments:

Olivia said...

This. Looks. DELICIOUS.

Tim B. said...

x_______________

Any wine to go with it?

Sean M. said...

No wine, but that would have been a perfect wine dish.