Pasta Mediterranean
Serves 4
Ingredients
250 g preferred short
pasta, eg spirals, elbows, bows.
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small sweet green capsicum, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 ½ teaspoon ready prepared minced garlic or chopped clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse ground black pepper to taste
2 x 250 g cans crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans or cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained or two packs
pine nuts
Chilli sauce to taste
Two handfuls of baby spinach
fresh basil, some chopped, some for a garnish
1/2 cup shredded parmesan or romano cheese
Method
Cook the pasta. You can cook it in advance and reheat it if you wish.
Warm the oil in a 2 litre saucepan over medium heat. Add the capsicums, onions, garlic, oregano and pepper. Stir or toss until the onions soften and change colour. Add the tomatoes, beans and chilli sauce. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 8 minutes. Toss in the baby spinach and cook for another 2 minutes.
Stir the pasta into the sauce (or vice versa!). Stir in the chopped basil. Top each serving with shredded romano or parmesan cheese, sprinkle with a little cracked black pepper, and garnish with fresh basil.
If you use pinenuts, you may like to roast them for a few moments in a hot non-stick frypan, or a pan seasoned with olive oil. Add them with the basil instead of with the tomatoes.