Pasta e fagioli

I love Italian food and this is Italian peasant food. Robin Robertson in her book "Vegan on the Cheap" estimates the cost at less than $1 per serving this was in American dollars in 2010.
Sounds posh - just means pasta and beans!


Made the Vege stock myself in the weekend

INGREDIENTS

3 cloves garlic

2 cans crushed tomatoes

1 can beans (1 ½ cups of cooked if cooked from scratch)               

                Cannellini, pinto, borlotti – or whatever you fancy

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

1 bay leaf

2 cups vegetable stock

Salt & pepper to taste

250g wholegrain macaroni or other small pasta

1 Tbs chopped parsley

METHOD

Heat a large pot and add a small amount of stock and sauté the garlic for approx 1 minute until softened. Stir in tomatoes, beans, herbs, stock and seasonings. Simmer 20 minutes

In a large pot of boiling water cook macaroni over medium-high heat until al dente – about 7 minutes. Drain and add to bean mixture with the parsley

Simmer gently to blend flavours – about 10 minutes. Remove Bay leaf and serve.

I used 2 cans of beans so it was more of a stew than a soup. Used Spike seasoning instead of salt. Served with some steamed spinach and followed with some fresh fruit.

Next time I may add an onion also.