Spaghetti with Garlicky White Beans, Roasted Beets and Asparagus
By: Leah Shannon
I don’t think that “haste makes waste” is always necessarily true. I think sometimes, it becomes an opportunity for unplanned efficiencies. That’s what happened to me the other day. Distracted by a conversation of cascading causalities fixated on one theme (if you have a 5-year old you know what that means) I had lost track of time.
Before and After
Dinner needed to be done quickly and I had beets and fresh farm-harvested asparagus on hand*. Ah, two vegetables that take well to roasting. Having only half an hour, I cut the beets in very small dice, cut the asparagus in 1 inch batons, tossed both with some olive oil and shoved it in a 400-degree oven.
Paired with some garlicky white beans on spaghetti – I had an instant bowl of pasta with a creamy sauce flecked with the sweet deliciousness of roasted beets and asparagus.
Spaghetti with Garlicky White Beans, Roasted Beets and Asparagus
3 medium beets, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
2 15 oz. cans Eden Organic Navy Beans**, drained
4 cloves garlic, chopped (I put more but I am abnormally enamored with garlic)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ cup white wine (remember, the kind you will drink!)
2 tbsp. basil (I used those nifty Trader Joe’s frozen basil cubes) or equivalent amount in prepared pesto
1 tsp. dried thyme
water or vegetable broth as needed
salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges
8 oz. Spaghetti (I use TJ’s Brown Rice Spaghetti)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prep your beets and asparagus, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about half an hour.
3. Cook pasta.
4. Saute garlic in hot oil for a few seconds, add the beans, the basil and the thyme. Stir for a few minutes.
5. Add the wine and let the liquid evaporate, stirring
6. Add water and simmer so that there is a little bit of sauce (this will become creamy as the beans cook).
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Drain the pasta and toss with beans.
9. Take the beets and asparagus out of the oven and toss with the pasta.
10. Serve with a lemon wedge.
11. Enjoy!
Serves 4.
*As some of you may know, I am lucky enough to live adjacent to Mildreds’ Daughters Urban Farm, tirelessly run by my mothers-in-law Randa Shannon and Barb Kline.
**Eden Organic canned beans do not contain BPA.
Leah Lizarondo Shannon is an Integrative Nutrition Counselor and Food Educator. She runs FullWell and works with the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine as a Food for Life instructor.
www.befullwell.com