Tomato & White Bean Pasta

You really can find recipes anywhere, not just in cookbooks. Magazines, for example, are always printing recipes for this diet fad or that, or for holidays and special events and get-togethers, for kids and for teenagers, for beginner and advanced cooks.

I don't subscribe to any magazines, but in your daily life, magazines can be found everywhere. On line at the supermarket, who doesn't pluck up a magazine while the person in front of you pays in pennies? Waiting for the doctor or the mechanic, there are always a ton of magazines laying around. More often than not, those magazines have been sitting there for weeks. If you find a recipe that you particularly like and want to remember and you do not have a pen and paper to copy it down with, ask the receptionist if you can take the magazine home.

This recipe came from a magazine. I can't remember when I found it or what magazine it came from. All I know is that I'd copied this recipe down some time ago, probably while I was still in college (it was found in an old notebook of mine with "Film as a Medium" written on the cover, which was a class I'd taken). I know I said it would be awhile before I posted another pasta recipe, but this was requested by none other than the fiance. It's one of his favorite pasta dishes and rightly so. It's a relatively healthy one, and vegetarian to boot!

TOMATO & WHITE BEAN PASTA (origins unknown)

YOU WILL NEED:

1 box of tri-color pasta

4 Roma tomatoes

1 tbsp olie oil

3-4 peeled garlic cloves

1 can white beans (white kidney, cannellini, etc.)

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

mise-en-place

You will also need a large or medium skillet and a pasta pot. Also - return of the basil plant! This one is holding up quite well so far, as opposed to the last one that only lasted two weeks.

1. Cook the pasta in salted water. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Cover to keep warm.

2. Cut the tomtoes in half, scrape out the seeds with a spoon and cut into 1-inch pieces.

3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and garlic cloves. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes. Remove garlic and set aside.

4. Drain and rinse the beans, Add them to the skillet and then remove from heat. Smash the reserved garlic with a fork and add to drained pasta.

5. Add the tomatoes, beans and basil. Stir well, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

The end!

This pasta dish makes a great weeknight meal that's healthy and causes very little fuss. The garlic gives the tomatoes a great flavor and the beans are still firm to the bite. Of course, the tri-color pasta gives added nutrition, but if you can find the whole grain tri-color pasta, that's even better. Otherwise, it doesn't get any better than this!

Sorry for the delay in posting, we've had a crazy few days here. But I promise there will be more to come! Until next time: eat, drink and be merry!