Low Fat Tuscan Bean And Pasta Stew Recipes

TUSCAN BEAN STEW WITH GARLIC & OREGANO

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a deep lidded frying pan or casserole.
• Finely chop the onion and leek and cook gently for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
• Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the carrot, trim and chop the celery, and peel and crush the garlic cloves. Add to the pan and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Trim and slice the red pepper and add to the pan. Season well with salt and black pepper.
• Drain and rinse the borlotti beans and cannellini beans, and tip both into the pan.
• Add the passata and water (you can just refill the empty passata carton half way with water, to save measuring this separately). Then add the stock powder, oregano, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil then cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and is thick and glossy.
• Remove any thick stalks from the spinach or kale, then stir through the stew for the last two minutes of cooking. Taste and adjust seasoning if required. Serve with steamed green vegetables or a crisp side salad and sourdough bread.
• Follow instructions 1-4 above, then tip the softened vegetables into your slow-cooker.
• Drain and rinse the tinned beans and add to the slow-cooker, followed by the passata, water, stock powder, oregano, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar.
• Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours, adding the spinach or kale as above for the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.

PASTA E FAGIOLI (ITALIAN PASTA AND BEANS)

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and about 10 twists of black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about 6 to 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, stir, and cook until the tomatoes are bubbling all over. Add the broth, water, bay leaves, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
• Use a heat-safe measuring cup to transfer about 1 1/2 cups of the soup (avoiding the bay leaves) to a blender. Add about 3/4 cup of the drained beans. Securely fasten the lid and blend until completely smooth, being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid. Pour the blended mixture back into the soup.
• Add the remaining beans, pasta, kale and parsley to the simmering soup. Continue cooking, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, for about 20 minutes, or until the pasta and greens are pleasantly tender.
• Remove the pot from the heat, then remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Taste and season with more salt (I usually add another 1/4 teaspoon) and pepper until the flavors really sing. Garnish bowls of soup as desired, and serve.
• Leftovers taste even better the next day. Allow leftover soup to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Or, freeze leftover soup in individual portions and defrost as necessary.

SLOW COOKER SAUSAGE, BEAN AND PASTA STEW

Steps:

• Spread the onions over the bottom of a 6- to 7-quart slow cooker and top with the carrots, garlic, white beans, thyme bundle and sausage links. Mix the diced tomatoes with the broth and 3 cups water and pour over the sausages. Add the Parmesan rind if using.
• Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours; the beans will be tender and begin to fall apart. Uncover the slow cooker, remove and discard the thyme bundle and Parmesan rind and transfer the sausage links to a cutting board. Stir the pasta into the stew and continue to cook, covered, until the pasta is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Cut the sausages into bite-size pieces and stir into the stew along with the parsley and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with grated Parmesan on the side for sprinkling on top and crusty bread for soaking up the broth.
• Cook's Note: This stew is also a great way to use up leftover cooked pasta. Simply omit the ditalini, reduce the water by 1 cup and stir 1 cup of cooked pasta (cut up if long noodles) into the finished stew along with the sausage pieces.

TUSCAN BEAN STEW (HEARTY + EASY)

Steps:

• Instructions In a large oven to table pan heat some olive oil for a minute on medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and fry for 2 minutes. Add the leek, celery, carrots, onion and garlic and lower the heat and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in a tablespoon of flour and turn the heat up for 1 minute to brown. Pour in the stock enriched with the yeast extract and the tomato puree. Turn the heat down low and simmer the broth for 6 minutes. Add the herbs, reserving a little to garnish. Add the orzo pasta and the washed beans and gently simmer, stirring occasionally for 12 minutes until the pasta is cooked. Garnish with the leftover herbs and (optionally) chopped black olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

LOW-FAT TUSCAN BEAN AND PASTA STEW

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and half the garlic; sauté for 5 minutes over medium heat, until onion is translucent.
• Add thyme, sage and 1/2 t. salt; sauté for 10 minutes more, until the onions just start to brown.
• Add the spinach, tomatoes and remaining garlic and salt. Stir, cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the spinach has wilted.
• Add the basil, beans, and cooked pasta. Heat on low.
• When pasta is heated throughout, add black pepper and serve.

CAJUN BEAN AND PASTA STEW

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a 2 quart saucepan.
• Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat.
• Cover and simmer 15 minutes, until macaroni is tender.

HEARTY TUSCAN BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Add the olive oil to a large, heavy pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for one more minute. Stir in the thyme, salt, and black pepper. Add the beans, broth, rosemary, and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low to maintain a simmer until the stew is thickened, 20-25 minutes.
• Add the kale and cook until wilted, 3-4 minutes.
• Remove the rosemary sprigs and bay leaf. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired.
• Serve as-is or over polenta, brown rice, or quinoa. Drizzle individual servings with a little olive oil, if desired.

ITALIAN PASTA-BEAN STEW

Steps:

• In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, onion, zucchini and pepper flakes; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add tomatoes and broth. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 20 minutes.
• Using fork, break up larger pieces of tomato. Stir in pasta. Cover; cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir in beans, spinach, basil, vinegar and salt. Cover; let stand 2 minutes. Sprinkle individual servings with Asiago cheese.