Pantry substitutions & a BIG “Hello!” from Miss Missy! 😊
I didn’t have all the ingredients for The Recipe of the Week in my pantry this week and that’s OK! More than ever, we don’t want anyone leaving the house during quarantine for ingredients if there are substitutions right in your pantry. We’d prefer that you work with what you have.
I substituted mixed greens for kale and instead of northern beans, I used chickpeas. If you don’t have beans, you could cook up the rest of the ingredients into a yummy side dish and serve it with your favorite protein — chicken or beef, perhaps. Get creative!
INGREDIENTS:
- 8oz whole grain pasta
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- ½ small onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- substitutes: ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 bunch of kale, torn
- substitutes: any fresh dark leafy greens, or canned or frozen spinach.
- 1-28oz can OR 2-14oz cans of diced tomatoes
- 1-14oz can of great northern beans
- substitutes: any type of canned bean or 1 ¾ cups of cooked dried beans
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 2oz parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
PROCESS:
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water.
- While pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onion begins to brown. Stir occasionally while cooking.
- Add the kale and cook, stirring frequently. For fresh greens, cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. For frozen or canned greens, cook until heated through.
- Add the tomatoes and beans and cook until heated through, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the kale mixture and parmesan cheese to the pasta and stir to combine. If the mixture seems too dry, add the ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water.
We give this recipe 2 thumbs up!! That’s Miss Missy’s son Will and he’s a senior at TC West High School — HE LOVED IT!
