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Spaghetti with No-Cook Sauce

Spaghetti with No-Cook Sauce

You can tell by the streak of tomato recipes here lately, I’m in the thick of it. And today is no exception. I made this for dinner last night, and if you have a box of spaghetti and some good tomatoes you’re half way there. What you see is a tangle of spaghetti, olives, nuts, vegetables, and torn mozzarella in a no-cook, lemon-zested tomato sauce. It’s bright, summery, colorful food, easy to adapt based on what you have on hand. The key? Make it on an extra hot night when tomato season is at its maximum. And don’t even mess around if your tomatoes aren’t on point.

So Many Variations!

This is a quintessential pantry meal. I added olives, pine nuts, and a bit of cheese to the base ingredients of spaghetti and tomatoes, but you can experiment with endless other directions. I love the pine nut component here, but toasted almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, or cashew would all be great. You could do a spicy version by adding a dollop of harissa to the sauce, or some chile flakes, or a tablespoon of toasted sesame chile oil. On the vegetable front, you see string beans pictured (because that’s whats coming out of my garden right now), but load up on anything from broccoli and cauliflower florets, or asparagus – basically, any quick cooking veg that you can throw in the pasta water at the last minute.

The Spaghetti

Use your favorite spaghetti noodle here. I love a traditional spaghetti noodle, don’t get me wrong, but one of the big surprises to me over the past few years is how good some of the whole grain and pulse-based pastas are. There is a wide range of brands around, so you’ll need to experiment. My advice on this front is to “date around” until you find a few brands and shapes you like. For day to day pasta eating when you compare nutritional labels, the noodles made with more whole ingredients can deliver significantly more vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein and the like. So it’s worth it to play around.

If you’re looking for more tomato-centric recipes — I posted this tomato tart recently. Try a fresh version of this tomato sauce. Make this favorite salsa. Or add them into a summery coleslaw. And you can never go wrong with gnocchi or classic bruschetta. If you’re just looking for summery favorites, try this Grilled Zucchini & Bread Salad, this Pasta with Smashed Zucchini Cream, or this Zucchini Bread.

And if you’re looking for a real treat, make this with homemade pasta. It’s incredible.Enjoy!

 

Spaghetti with No-Cook Sauce

Use the best, most flavorful tomatoes you can find.

 

INGREDIENTS
    • 1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (~3 large), quartered, seeds removed
    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • scant teaspoon fine grain sea salt
    • 2 lemons
    • 1 pound whole grain spaghetti
    • 1 pound string beans or broccoli florets
    • 2/3 cup torn Kalamata olives
    • 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
    • 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved (~2 cups)
    • 1 cup torn mozzarella
    • Slivered fresh basil or fresh lemon verbena (or crushed dried lemon verbena), to serve

 

INSTRUCTIONS
1.Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. In the meantime, slice the larger tomatoes (1 1/2 pounds) into bite-sized chunks and place in a large serving bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with the garlic, salt, and zest of one of the lemons. Squeeze a tablespoon of lemon juice into the mixture, and use a hand blender to pulse a few times, into a chunky sauce.

3. Salt the pasta water well, and cook the pasta per package instructions. Add the sting beans or broccoli to the pasta water in the last minute of cooking. Drain the pasta and vegetables and transfer to the bowl with the tomato sauce. Toss well. Add half the olives, half the pine nuts, and half of the cherry tomatoes. Add all of the mozzarella. Toss well, and top with the zest of the second lemon, and the remaining olives, pine nuts, and tomatoes.

4. Top with basil or lemon verbena & serve immediately.

 

NOTES

Serves 6.

 

The post Spaghetti with No-Cook Sauce appeared first on 101 Cookbooks

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Cheesy Vegetarian

Vegan Tomato and Black Bean Stew

Black beans are without a doubt my favourite bean (and my kids’ favourite too), and I absolutely love this simple black bean stew. It’s nothing fancy or complicated, just good, honest food – simply black beans in a rich tomato sauce, cooked with a few straightforward spices, and served up however you like. And best of all, it can be on the table in less than half an hour.

A portion of tomato and black bean stew served with rice, lettuce and sour cream.

This easy recipe uses canned black beans, because who’s got time for cooking dried beans on a busy weeknight – or any other time?! Certainly not me, and I love using canned beans for a quick dinner. Just simmer them until the stew is nice and thick, and they really could not be more delicious.

🍚 How to Serve Black Bean Stew

I’ve made this dish dozens of times, and served it in so many different ways. It’s a really versatile recipe. Here are some ideas for how to serve this easy black bean stew:

  • simply served with rice (and toppings, like avocado and sour cream)
  • wrapped up in a soft tortilla to make an amazing bean burrito
  • loaded into a taco shell with salad and extra toppings
  • heaped onto a baked potato
  • served with lots of roasted veggies (crispy potato wedges would be great)
  • with tortilla chips on the side for scooping

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🥗 Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for tomato and black bean stew laid out with text overlay.
  • black beans. Canned black beans ensure this recipe is quick and easy. If you prefer, you can cook dried beans from scratch beforehand, then follow the recipe as written.
  • onion – I used half an onion, because I find a whole large onion is too much in this recipe. If you’d rather not have half an onion left over, try to just use a small one instead.
  • tomatoes (try to use good quality ones)
  • tomato paste
  • garlic – I used minced garlic from a jar, but fresh garlic would also be fine.
  • smoked paprika
  • ground cumin
  • fresh chilli (or chilli flakes, if you prefer) – I always choose a small, mild chilli. I do like things quite spicy, but adding too much spice can spoil a meal very quickly! If you’re not sure how hot your chilli is, start with just a small amount – you can always add more later.

Becca’s Top Tip

If you find you sometimes get stomach issues from eating too many beans or other legumes, make sure you rinse canned beans before cooking with them. This can help to wash away the gas-inducing substances from the beans.

📹 Recipe Video





Overhead shot of rich tomato and black bean stew with rice and lettuce.

🖨 Printable Instructions

Vegan tomato and black bean stew on a plate with rice and lettuce.

Print

Vegan Tomato and Black Bean Stew

A super easy vegan black bean stew, with a rich tomato sauce and beautiful spices. This is such a versatile recipe!
Course Main Course
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 3 people
Calories 266kcal
Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 1/2 onion (or 1 small onion), finely diced
  • 1 tsp garlic puree (or 4 cloves garlic, minced)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 small mild chilli, finely diced (or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes)
  • ~ 5 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 x 400g tins black beans, drained (480g, or ~ 2 1/2 cups, in total when drained)
  • 75 ml (~ 1/3 cup) water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the diced onion, and cook for around 5 minutes, until fairly soft but not browned.
    Finely diced onions cooking in a frying pan.
  • Add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin and chopped chilli, and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. You can start with just half of the chilli if you’re unsure how hot it is.
    Spiced onions cooking in a frying pan.
  • Next, add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste, and cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture forms a thick, tomatoey paste.
    Rich tomatoes and onions cooking in a frying pan.
  • Add the drained black beans to the pan, along with the water, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, and allow to simmer for at least 5 minutes – leave it longer if you have time, ideally more like 15-20 minutes. The mixture should be thick and rich. You can remove the lid for the last few minutes if your stew needs thickening up.
    Rich tomato and black bean stew in a frying pan.
  • Serve warm. I like to serve mine with rice and a dollop of sour cream.
    Vegan tomato and black bean stew with rice and lettuce.

Video





Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.7g | Protein: 13.6g | Fat: 6.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 954mg | Fiber: 14.3g | Sugar: 5.5g | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 4mg

💭 Recipe FAQs

Can I prep this bean stew in advance?

Yes – this stew will reheat nicely, so it’s no problem to prepare it in advance. Once it’s cooked, allow it to cool, and store in the fridge in an airtight tub until you’re ready to reheat.

How should I reheat any leftovers?

You can reheat any leftovers in the microwave, or in a pan on the stovetop. You may need to add a splash of water when reheating if the stew has dried out a little. Ensure the beans are piping hot before serving.

Is this recipe vegan / gluten-free?

Yes! This bean stew is both vegan and gluten-free.

🫘 Other Black Bean Recipes

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Mexican Baked Eggs

The post Vegan Tomato and Black Bean Stew appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

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