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When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore

Dining at an Italian restaurant in America, it’s often quite difficult to locate a vegan dish among the meat and cheese-laden offerings.  However, in Italy, menus abound with naturally-vegan foods.  Minestrone, Bruschetta, Penne Arrabbiata, Spaghetti Pomodoro, Insalata, Pizza Marinara… it’s oft been said that one cannot eat a bad meal in Italy!

One of my Italian grandmother’s favorite dishes—which just so happens to be vegan—is Pasta e Fagioli.

From the internet: Pasta fagioli or Pasta e fagioli, meaning “pasta and beans”, is a traditional meatless Italian peasant dish that is now a frequent menu item throughout the world. Like many other Italian favorites, the dish started as a peasant dish due to cheaply available beans and pasta. Today it can be widely found, even in restaurants that don’t feature Italian cuisine. The base is generally olive oil, garlic, minced onion, and spices, along with stewed tomatoes or tomato paste.  The consistency of the dish can vary. Depending on the dialect of Italian being used, the word fagioli may be pronounced as it is spelled, or closer to fazul. A 1927 song by Van and Schenck capitalizes on this latter pronunciation in the rhyme, “Don’t be a fool, eat pasta fazool.”

For this CCK “Raw” Pasta e Fagioli, it’s a far cry from the true Italian version—let’s face it; authenticity went out the window when I wanted to make the recipe raw.  (Of course I completely forgot that canned beans aren’t raw, so it isn’t truly a raw recipe anyway.  Oh well, I tried!)

Zucchini Noodles with Creamy Tomato Sauce

(serves 1)

  • 1/2 cup canned beans, drained (The beans in the picture are kidney beans, but I also love Cannellini)
  • 1 large zucchini, spiralized with a spiralizer or a vegetable peeler (or you can use regular pasta)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste (For a sweeter sauce, try using ketchup)
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • Optional ingredients: olive oil, chopped garlic, and/or spices (I like to add Italian seasonings)

Procedure: Blend all of the ingredients (except the noodles), using your blending gadget-of-choice (I use the Magic Bullet).  Pour over the noodles.  As my Italian Mimi would say: “Mangia Mangia, Bambino!”

z 1488

Above, after mixing the sauce with the noodles.

 

Published on August 7, 2009

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25 Comments

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  1. MarathonVal says

    That’s so interesting that it is easy to eat vegan in Italy…. as a very recent vegan, we are planning out first trip to Greece and Italy next summer and I was just thinking it would be very hard to eat well there!! Haha I guess I just have to get a good dictionary so I can translate “no meat no dairy no eggs”!

  2. Heather Eats Almond Butter says

    Yum yum and more yum. The noodle dish sound fantastic…and the Mountain Mint Wild Bar…my favorite raw bar hands down! Now, if only I could afford the $5 price tag. 🙁

  3. Ruby red vegan says

    Peasant dishes rock, between the Italian pasta e fagioli and the French ratatouille!!! But oh wow, this recipe idea is fantabulous sounding and so simple! I love how you can made delicious combos quickly, uniquely, and simply. You have talent, fo’ sho’.

    WILD BARS! I must locate those — I can’t wait for your review!!! I’m impatient for it already. 🙂

  4. Luna says

    Katie, that’s fun, I used to think that italian meal are all but vegan … just a piece of advice, when in Italy and having baked goods (bread, pizza, “grissini” etc…) always check the ingredients list / ask someone to see if they use “strutto”, unfortunately they put it everywhere!!!!(strutto is pig’s fat, “lard” in english I think 🙁 )

  5. Ricki says

    Great way to use zucchini noodles–I’ve never had authentic pasta e fagioli, if you can believe it, but I think I might like this one better!

  6. monica says

    Katie PLEASE stop with the teasers!! I NEED me a spiralizer-I really wanted your favorite things when you gave those babies away as you know, but a spiralizer is up ther on my list and all this zuchinni pasta bussiness is making me extremely jealous.:)
    On second thought-just don’t have a big give away, how bout just a give to me?:) love you, love your show-bye!

  7. Alana says

    I put EVERYTHING over raw zucchini noodles…wonder what chocolate concoction can go over them?!?!?! hmmmm… ANYWAYS! The beans with ketchup was PERFECT! THANKS FOR ANOTHER GREAT ONE CCK!

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