Bean Bolognese

Today, I woke up feeling gross and unhealthy and just yuck! (Might have something to do with a greasy carrot cake that I created yesterday--our house has dubbed it Frankencake, but more on that in another entry). Anyway, to balance my recent spate of unhealthiness (glutting myself with snacks and salt-roasted almonds) I decided that I would at least try making something healthy for dinner. I turned to the internet and the internet provided. I present: Bean Bolognese. The original recipe is from eatingwell.com.


Prep time: 30-40 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

Pasta

1 15 ounce can of beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup water + 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
2 large tomatoes

Dash of cayenne pepper
Dash of curry powder

Dash of dried basil
Dash of dried rosemary

Prep:

1. Rinse, and dry the beans. Take 1/2 a cup of the beans and mash them with a small fork.

2. Quarter the onion.

3. Chop the carrots into smallish pieces.

4. Smash the garlic with the blade of a knife.

5. Quarter and chop the tomato into small pieces.

6. Measure out 1/4 cup of water and add a teaspoon of lemon juice.

Steps:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions, carrots, and salt. Stir it about and cover. Let it cook for about 7 mins. Stir occasionally.

2. Add the garlic. Stir. Let it fry for about 15 seconds. You should also be boiling some water for your pasta. Prepare your pasta as directed on the box. I find spaghetti takes 10 mins for al dente.

3. Add the water+lemon juice to your saucepan. Turn the heat up and let most of the liquid evaporate.

4. Add the tomatoes and the mashed beans. Turn the heat to medium. Stir the mixture thoroughly. You're waiting for the tomatoes to give up their liquid and turn the whole thing into a nice thick sauce. This will take 8 to 10 mins -- maybe more. Make sure to be stirring the thing around or it might burn at the bottom.

5. Throw in a dash of cayenne and curry powder.

6. Add the remaining beans. Heat thoroughly for 3 to 4 minutes. By this time you should have a nice thickish tomato-y sauce.

7. Dash in some dried basil and some dried rosemary, stir it around and turn the heat off.

8. Serve warm, with generous portions of sauce over your pasta.

Grate fresh Parmesan for extra deliciousness.