If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know how much I love having "kits" in the freezer. They make dinner prep a breeze.
If you're visiting for the first time, then let me explain what a "kit" is. "Freezer kits" are meal components I pre-cook and stash in my freezer for convenient weeknight meals. I usually have precooked frozen rice, beans, chicken and ground beef. Using these frozen ingredients combined with pantry stockpiled items like pasta, canned tomatoes or frozen vegetables makes dinner come together in a snap.
So I thought I'd share another great "kit" meal using frozen pre-cooked beans and canned tomatoes. I think this meal was complete and ready to eat in under 15 minutes.
You have to love that!
If you're visiting for the first time, then let me explain what a "kit" is. "Freezer kits" are meal components I pre-cook and stash in my freezer for convenient weeknight meals. I usually have precooked frozen rice, beans, chicken and ground beef. Using these frozen ingredients combined with pantry stockpiled items like pasta, canned tomatoes or frozen vegetables makes dinner come together in a snap.
So I thought I'd share another great "kit" meal using frozen pre-cooked beans and canned tomatoes. I think this meal was complete and ready to eat in under 15 minutes.
You have to love that!
White Beans, Tomatoes & Spinach Pasta (click here for printable recipe)
2 garlic clove, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp olive oil
2-14.5 oz can Hunt's diced tomatoes
2 tsp garlic & herb seasoning
2 cup prepared Great Northern beans (or Cannellini, any white bean)
4 cups fresh spinach chopped
Season with black pepper
4 cups fresh spinach chopped
Season with black pepper
1/2 lb Angel Hair pasta
Parmesan cheese
In a skillet over medium heat, warm the oil and add a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Remember: the more you add, the spicier the dish will be.
then add the garlic.
Pour in the Hunt's diced tomatoes (it sputtered a great deal because the skillet was fairly hot, so be careful)
sprinkle in your garlic & herb seasoning (I used this one and another Rosemary and Garlic seasoning)
now add the beans. As you can tell, I didn't thaw them before hand, it was just fine.
Simmer over medium low heat while preparing the pasta.
Chop spinach if you haven't already done so...
and add to the skillet so it can wilt down from the heat of the sauce
Prepare pasta to al dente.
Add pasta to skillet and stir to combine flavors.
Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
Makes 4 servings (287 calories, 4 gr fat, 55.5 carbs, 12.1 gr protein)
Serve with a fresh salad or steamed broccoli or green beans.
The kids and I enjoyed this very much. It's a great meatless meal. I'm thinking of doing some simple meatless meals in April, and this one was a winner. So you'll probably see it again soon.
and it's figure friendly!
TIP: If you are concerned about eating the correct portion of pasta for calorie content. You can always prepare the pasta and then portion out 1/2 cup on your plate and then spoon the bean and tomato sauce over it.
Have a great week!
This post has been linked to:
- Mouthwatering Monday at A Southern Fairytale
- Mmmonday at Acting Balanced
- Meatless Monday at Midnight Maniac
- Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist
- Hearth and Soul at Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy
- Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
- Delicious Dish at It's a Blog Party
- Delectable Tuesday Blog Hop at Home Sweet Farm
- Tasty Tuesday at 33 Shades of Green
- Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
- $5 Dollar Dinner Challenge
- No Whine Wednesday at Food on the Table
- Lets Do Brunch at My Sweet & Savory
- Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family
- Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
- What's On Your Plate? at Good Cheap Eats
- Fast Food NOT Fat Food 2011 (March 1-April 15) at Priyas Now Serving...
21 comments:
That looks easy and healthy and cheap!! Perfect trifecta! I wonder, can you use frozen spinach?
Looks great! I'd ask some chicken and that will definitely be a family meal for us. Thanks for sharing.
Katie
http://pinkepost.blogspot.com
Susie, I think frozen spinach would be really good in this too! We had some fresh spinach in the fridge and I planted some in our little garden, so I was thinking of ways to use up fresh spinach. I'd probably use 1/2 of a 10 oz box to start with. If it looked like it needed more, use the rest. Just eyeball it, like Rachael Ray says, LOL! :) And don't forget to squeeze out the water from the frozen spinach, you certainly wouldn't want soggy pasta!
What a yummy and springy dish!!
What a great meatless meal - I love pasta dishes that are light and yet full of delicious flavor. This looks like a real winner! Thanks for sharing this with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop!
I've had beans in pasta salad, but never though about having them with spaghetti. Your pasta meal looks delish though!
This looks great. I'm always on the lookout for good meatless meals.
Yum! Tomatoes and spinach make such a good flavour combination, don't you think? I've never thought to put beans in pasta, but this looks REALLY good!
Wow, that looks lovely and delicious! I've been on the hunt for some lighter, fresher tasting meals to serve during the upcoming hot summer. This looks like just what I need! Thank you for sharing!
What an awesome pasta! I'm sort-of a pasta addict and I'm excited to try this one!!! Mriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters
I like this recipe and hope to try it soon. You have a delightful blog, and I have become your new follower!
I am a huge Pasta fan and this dish is amazing :) Thanks for sharing it with Hearth and Soul Hop!
The colours in this dish are just beautiful and the recipe sounds delish! I like how healthy it is too. Thank you for sharing it with the Hearth and Soul blog hop.
Sounds fantastic and pretty frugal! I want to try it soon! Do you thnk it would taste good with black beans instead of white?
I don't think the black beans would work as well, just because they aren't nearly as creamy as the white beans are. But frugality mandates using what you have. Who knows, it might be fabulous!
Looks excellent - good alternative to meat sauce.
Your recipe looks really good. I love garlic, tomatoes, beans and pasta. What a great combo.
This is my first time on your blog and I am your newest follower. I would love it if you checked out my blog and followed back.
This looks excellent! I just saved it, thanks!
I know I've commented before, but I also wanted to say thank you for sharing this yummy dish with Let's Do Brunch! The linky is now up for this week so hope you will come along and join in if you haven't already :)
That is a very flavorful and delicious pasta - thanks for linking to my event dear - could i please request you to use the logo and link back to my event page... much appreciated and thanks again for this lovely healthy recipe and do visit often :) - following dear -cheers, Priya
You have a lovely Blog and this recipe looks wonderful! I love that you are encouraging people to cook freshly prepared food! thanks for taking the time and effort!
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