Bowties & Beans (Easy Vegan Pasta Skillet)

BOWTIES AND BEANS

I am so excited to tell you about this recipe.  We’ve made a version of this recipe for years in my kitchen.  It started with a recipe called Skillet Lasagna which I believe was from a Better Crocker cookbook (some sort of fast and easy cookbook... my mom gave it to me... thanks, Mom!). The original recipe called for Italian pork sausage, bell pepper, onion, mushroom, dry pasta, mozzarella cheese, pasta sauce, water and spices. Over the years I got to the point where I could just throw things in the pot and it was always good.  We never added mushroom and we always added in extra spices and we always added some Parmesan cheese to each serving.  More recently, we’ve made the recipe with ground turkey and eliminated the mozzarella cheese to make the dish lower in fat.  

My husband recently decided to join me in eating an exclusively plant based diet (no food from any animal sources) and every recipe we have been gravitating toward has been Mexican-inspired. Mexican Lasagna, Black Bean and Potato Burritos, Taco Pizza, Tostadas... you get the idea.  While we both love Mexican-inspired dishes, you can have too much of a good thing.  I was getting to where I was craving something like spaghetti and meatballs. I have tried a number of vegan “burger” recipes in the past several weeks so I started to research vegan “meatball” recipes.  Despite my research, I was determined I was not going to find a recipe that would yield a nice firm meatball. I was even contemplating looking at the frozen vegan “meatballs” at the grocery store and maybe trying something like that. 

It suddenly occurred to me that I was just overthinking this.  We decided to make the Skillet Lasagna recipe and just add a can of beans and eliminate the meat.  So easy!  The end result was delicious and we both loved it.  We got adventurous and tried out some interesting toppings.  

You can see some of the toppings in the close up photos below. 

 We tried topping the pasta with hemp seeds.  Result: delicious!  

We also tried a topping that I made in my blender:  Vegan Parmesan cheese (bread crumbs, sliced almonds, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder).  Result: also delicious!  

The toppings are optional but I like them both.  The toppings are a great way to add some additional vitamins and protein to the dish.

Lots of great spices from the spice rack.

Okay, here is the recipe:

Bowties & Beans (Easy Vegan Pasta Skillet)

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion (I used a sweet onion), diced

1 medium bell pepper (any color; I used red), diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

3/4 teaspoon salt (I used kosher salt)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Several grinds of black pepper

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)

3 cups of pasta (I used Barilla brand Mini Farfalle “bowties”).  May substitute 8 to 9 ounces of a different shape small pasta such as small shells or penne pasta.

1 jar (24 ounces) of pasta sauce (I used Barilla brand Tomato Basil sauce)

24 ounces of water (fill the pasta sauce jar with water)

1 can (15.5 ounce) cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained (May substitute any bean such as dark red kidney bean or garbanzo bean, but I liked the creaminess of the cannellini beans.  Next time we make this, we might add in two cans of beans instead of just one.

Heat a large pot over medium to medium to medium high heat; add in 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil.  Once the oil is hot, add in the bell pepper and onion.  Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.  Add in all the spices (oregano through sugar).  Stir to coat the vegetables with the spices and cook an additional minute.

Next add in the remaining ingredients (pasta, pasta sauce, water, and beans). Stir to combine and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The cooking time will vary depending upon which type of pasta you use so I recommend checking your pasta at about 15 minutes for desired tenderness.  I live at high altitude so pasta takes a bit longer to cook here.

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:

HEMP SEEDS: I recommend giving them a try.

VEGAN PARMESAN CHEESE:

In a blender or food processor, combine 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko bread crumbs), 1/4 cup sliced raw almonds, 1/8 cup nutritional yeast, and a pinch of garlic powder.  Pulse in the blender or food processor until the almonds are pulverized.  Sprinkle over pasta dish.

TOP WITH SOME GREENS:

I did not try it today but I’ve been at Italian restaurants where my pasta dish was served with a handful of raw arugula on top.  I think that would be a great addition to this pasta recipe.  Also, one could easily stir a few handfuls of raw spinach in to this pasta recipe when the pasta is cooked through.  My husband would not go for that, but I would like that.  

If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to hear about it.  

Lots of leftovers. Love that!

Here’s a close up of the pasta dish with some of the Vegan Parmesan Cheese (above).

Mmm! Simmering on the stove top (above).

Here is a sample plate where we were trying out the toppings (hemp seeds on the left and Vegan Parmesan Cheese on the right).