This is our quick meal of the week. Pasta e Fagioli has everything you could want from a dish- vegetables, grains, and beans. It's a hearty dish, but if you want to add anything to the meal, a nice side of steamed fresh vegetables with a pinch of sea salt and pepper on top would be a perfect addition. The crumble takes some time to bake, but is easy to assemble. I propose you make the crumble first and cook the soup second, in the in between time when the crumble is cooking.
This soup is on virtually every Italian restaurant menu you can find, and it's almost always vegan (watch out for people using chicken stock rather than vegetable stock). Though soup is usually considered comfort food and reserved for winter meals, this is a perfect springtime entree or appetizer and is so simple to put together.
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1 bay leaf
2 c. water (or more, if needed)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. ditalini or other small-shaped pasta
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
Grated soy Parmesan (optional)
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in the tomatoes. Add the beans, oregano, basil, bay leaf, water, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until it is just al dente (about 5 to 6 minutes). Drain well and add to the bean mixture along with the parsley. Simmer gently for 10 minutes to blend flavors and finish cooking the pasta. Season more if desired.
To serve, ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parma (recipe below)
Per serving: 271 calories, 8g fat, 68 calories from fat, 12g protein, 11g dietary fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 42g carbohydrates, 26mg sodium, 21.3mg vitamin C, 26.9mcg vitamin K, 112mcg folate, 1.4mg manganese
1/4 c. chopped almonds
1/8 c. nutritional yeast
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder
zest of 1/2 lemon, optional
Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until it turns into crumbs.
Per serving: 31 calories, 2g fat, 14 calories from fat, 2g protein, 2g carbohydrates, 1g dietary fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 38mg sodium, 89.1mcg folate, 0.8mg vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), 0.1mg manganese, 51.9mg phosphorous, 0.8mg zinc, 2.1mg thiamin, 2.1mg riboflavin, 12.4mg niacin, 2.1mg vitamin B6, 1.7mcg vitamin B12, 5mcg selenium
2 c. whole grain flour (such as barley, spelt, brown rice)
3 c. rolled oats
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. canola oil
1/2 c. brown rice syrup
1/4 c. maple syrup
3/4 c. pecans, chopped
3 c. fresh fruit (peach and/or strawberry are awesome with this recipe)
1 1/2 c. apple juice
2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350º F. In a square baking dish, combine the fruit.
Heat 1 cup apple juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the arrowroot powder into the remaining apple juice, until it dissolves, then add it into the saucepan. Add in the lemon juice and stir continuously so that lumps don't form. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the vanilla and a pinch of salt. Pour the wet mixture over the fruit in the baking pan.
To make the crumble, put the oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt into a skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until they start to smell nutty and are lightly golden brown. Pour the oats mixture onto a separate plate and then add the oil and syrups to your skillet. Once the wet ingredients are thoroughly heated, dump the oats mixture into the wet mixture. Stir to combine and add in the nuts.
Using your hands, crumble the crumble on top of the fruit mixture, and then cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the top is golden brown and you can see some bubbling in the fruit.
Cool for about 30 minutes before serving. This step is important to allow the fruit mixture time to gel; otherwise it will be very runny. Note: In the picture above, I drizzled on some walnut cream from the parfait recipe.
Per serving: 657 calories, 26g fat, 224 calories from fat, 915g protein, 93g carbohydrates, 9g dietary fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 102mg sodium, 36.8mg vitamin C, 5mg iron, 65.4mg calcium, 4.2mg manganese