Thursday, February 10, 2011

Frugal Food Thursday: White Beans with Peppers

Welcome to Frugal Food Thursday!  If you have a great frugal recipe, please link up below! 

My New Year's resolution was to eat better - to lower the carbohydrates I'm getting from rice and pasta, and increase the carbs from beans and vegetables.

But I so miss eating pasta and sauce!  So I created a dish with a tomato-based pasta sauce, but served it with white beans instead of pasta.

I used white beans from a can this time, but I often cook dried beans during my Freezer Cooking Days.  I soak a package of beans overnight, then cook them in the crockpot for about 8 hours, or until they are soft.  I then package them in 2-cup measures into quart-sized bags, seal the bags, flatten the bags out, and freeze them in stacks.  When I need beans, instead of opening a can, I defrost a bag.

The pasta sauce is pretty easy.  I had lots of different colored peppers from a discount sale I found at a local Italian supermarket, but of course you can just use green peppers if the colored ones are too expensive.  I used a jar of prepared sauce, but you could also make your own from canned tomatoes and spices.

WHITE BEANS WITH PEPPERS

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 4-oz can mushrooms, drained
1/2 jar (28 oz) pasta sauce
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
freshly ground black pepper
2 cans (15 oz) white beans (Great Northern or cannellini), drained

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Saute the onion for 2-3 minutes until softened.  Add the peppers and continue to saute for 3-4 minutes, until the peppers are softened.  Add the garlic and continue to saute for 1 more minute, making sure not to burn the garlic.  Add the canned mushrooms.

Add the tomato sauce and spices.  Turn the heat to high until the sauce starts to boil, then bring the heat down to mediumlow and cook, covered, for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the canned beans and cook, covered, for another 5-10 minutes. Serve with a crusty whole-grain bread and a green salad.


There are lots more cheap recipes posted here at Frugal FolliesClick here for the list!

Got a great frugal recipe?  Link below to your actual post, not your main page.  Please only link up recipes - contest entries and other posts are not allowed and will be deleted. I'd appreciate it if you would link back to Frugal Food Thursday as well!



For more great recipes, please check out the bloggers listed on the left sidebar under Food Linkups. There are lots of great recipes on each blog and I'm sure you'll find some new favorites!


Bookmark and Share

17 comments:

Andrea (Andreas Kitchen) February 10, 2011 at 12:05 PM  

Happy Thursday! I have another idea for you and your pasta sauces- serve it over small pieces of cauliflower or strips of zucchini! It's great for people who are trying to eat more vegies and less carbs. I am in that mode after baking too much lately!
This week I am sharing my recipe for Raspberry Curd. I think it's pretty frugal because the 12 oz bag of frozen raspberries was only $3.69 at Trader Joes!
Thanks for hosting!

Super Amazing Savings February 10, 2011 at 12:47 PM  

Thanks for the recipe. I'll have to try it. I've made homemade beans before and this seems to be easier than that and sounds like it tastes good too.

Pat @ Elegantly, Gluten-Free February 10, 2011 at 2:03 PM  

Your Beans with Peppers sound delicious! I also used white beans this week, making a salad with them -- garbanzos, or cannelini beans, or any white bean you like. It's easy, and nutritious. You can also serve it over lettuce, if you want.

Kankana February 10, 2011 at 2:09 PM  

First time in your blog :) Linked one of my fish today, hope you will like it !

Miz Helen February 11, 2011 at 11:56 AM  

What a perfect day for your White Bean with Peppers, we just love these kinds of dishes. Thank you so much for bringing this wonderful dish to Full Plate Thursday and please come back!

mommy Orkid Belle February 11, 2011 at 2:38 PM  

That is delicious. Thanks for sharing! I love beans like pinto beans and butter beans mixed in with my soups. I love the flavor and the texture. :) Visiting via FTF.

Adin B

Ann Kroeker February 11, 2011 at 5:49 PM  

Sounds really good, and I like your clever alternative to pasta! I actually have everything on your list sitting in my fridge. Hmm......

Chats the Comfy Cook February 13, 2011 at 9:48 PM  

White beans with Peppers sounds delicious. Thanks for linking it up. I can see making this, in the near future. I certainly, I hope I do.

Hunger and Thirst February 15, 2011 at 11:28 PM  

So, did you get the satisfaction of having had a pasta dish? I'd take beans over pasta any day, so this is a winner to me. Thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul hop.

alissa {33shadesofgreen} February 16, 2011 at 4:26 PM  

Thanks for sharing - this sounds delicious. I'm a hard-core pasta lover but this recipe makes me think that I might not miss it.
Alissa

Candace February 16, 2011 at 7:01 PM  

What a great idea to use white beans instead of pasta! We love beans around here!

Jason@JLHealth February 17, 2011 at 7:38 PM  

Pasta is definitely locked in a fierce battle with my waistline... Your recipe looks great and thanks for sharing at the hearth and soul hop.

Post a Comment

Next Post Previous Post Home
Content © 2010-2014 by Frugal Follies.   © Blogger templates The Professional Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008