Pasta Fazoole Recipie - A Must Try

Today I'm sharing a family recipe with you, which is one of my favorite dishes to create and serve to my family and friends. This hearty Italian Vegetarian dish (which is optionally Vegan if you leave off the Parmesan garnish) was one of my mother’s go to staples when she needed something nutritious, delicious, economical, and easy to make. This dish is great for dinner with a salad and fresh bread! The combination of beans with the grain in the pasta increases the protein value of both! Most of the ingredients in this recipe could be grown yourself or sourced from your local farmers market.

Garbanzo beans are an excellent source of molybdenum and manganese. They are also a very good source of folate and copper as well as a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, protein, iron and zinc.

Kidney beans also supply magnesium, which is Nature's own calcium channel blocker. When there is enough magnesium around, your veins and arteries relax, which improves the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. These beans provide a beneficial effect on the digestive system and the heart, the soluble fiber in them helps stabilize blood sugar levels. Garbanzo and Kidney beans can help you balance blood sugar levels while providing steady, slow-burning energy, which can help if you have insulin resistance, hypoglycemia or diabetes.

In addition to giving delicious flavor to your dish, onions are a very good source of biotin. They are also a good source of manganese, vitamin B6, copper, vitamin C, dietary fiber, phosphorus, potassium, folate and vitamin B1. Garlic is an excellent source of sulfur, manganese and vitamin B6. It is also a good source of vitamin C and copper; and a good source of selenium, phosphorus, vitamin B1 and calcium.

This recipe is scalable, if you are feeding a crowd! Enjoy your creation and let me know how you liked it!

Yields: 4-6 servings
Vegetarian (Optionally Vegan)

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, grated
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or 1 ½ cups fresh cooked chickpeas.
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans or 1 ½ cups fresh cooked beans.
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes or 15 oz fresh diced tomatoes.
1 small can tomato paste

¼ teaspoons oregano
½ teaspoons salt
Dash of pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tablespoons dried)
5-6 cups water

¼ cup bell pepper, chopped
1 cup grated zucchini

Pasta, cooked
Grated parmesan cheese (dairy)

Directions:

Saute onions, garlic, carrot, and celery in olive or coconut oil.

Add beans, tomatoes, seasonings and water and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add bell pepper and zucchini, and simmer for 10 minutes longer.

Serve over a bed of pasta and garnish with parmesan cheese!

Warning: as it sits, the flavors in this dish marinade together making the flavors as good or better as leftovers.

“Some like it hot, some like it cold, Some like it in the pot, nine days old."

If you like this, leave me a comment!