Friday Night Dinner

Tonight for dinner Giselle, as she usually does, picked what I was to make for us. I opened the pantry cupboard for her and she said "The can of mixed beans, the ones with the garbanzos". I said "And what else?" "What do you mean "What else?"?" "Well, we can't just have a can of beans for dinner, there needs to be more to it like some rice or something." "Tube pasta and beans, no pasta sauce. That's what I want you to make." So I then sat on the kitchen floor staring at the two named ingredients trying to figure out what to make - a bag of whole wheat penne pasta and a can of salad beans (kidney, pinto and garbanzo). Inspiration struck and after convincing Giselle that it did have to have diced tomatoes in it, I commensed to preparing a masterpiece. I love to cook and I take great pride in being able to create great tasting food with hopefully not a great amount of effort. So without further ado, I give you tonight's dinner:

Pasta with Beans
Cook 3/4 lb dry whole wheat penne pasta according to the directions on the package (we used BioNature organic) DO NOT throw out all the pasta water. While the pasta is cooking, heat up a large skillet/pan/flat-bottomed wok over medium/high heat (6). Add to pan 1/2 slice super thick bacon, finely diced (we used Full Quiver Farms bacon) and 1 heaping tsp minced garlic (we used Spice World minced garlic), cook until bacon is browned. Decrease heat to medium (4.5) then add 1 TBS butter (we used Central Market organic unsalted butter) and 1 tsp olive oil (we used Spectrum Organics extra virgin olive oil for everyday use). When the butter is melted dump in 1 can drained beans (we used Westbrae Orgainc Salad Beans) and stir occasionally until heated through. Pour in 1 can of drained diced Italian seasoned tomatoes (we used Muir Glen diced tomatoes with Italian herbs) and 1/3 cup of the pasta water, stir until mixed. Add in cooked pasta, stir until mixed, sprinkle generously with shredded parmesean cheese (we used DiGiorno three cheese shredded), stir until mixed. Turn off heat but leave on stove for 5 min while the pasta absorbs all the liquid. Stir again and serve in bowls.