Bean Pasta

Serves 4 

Recipe by Greg Classen

Mexican without the heat but with the cheese. An excellent source of protein and amino acids for vegetarians, simple to make with ingredients available just about everywhere.

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced
• 2 Tbs Paprika
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 2 Tbs tomato paste
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 125ml red wine
• 1 tin butter beans, drained
• 1 tin red kidney beans, drained
• 1 tin chopped Italian tomatoes
• 500g tagliatelli pasta, cooked
• 100g Parmesan, grated
• 100g Mozzarella, grated
• Pinch Oregano
• 125ml fat free Bulgarian yoghurt to serve

 Method:

1. Sauté the peppers in some olive oil.
2. Add the paprika while stirring, then the vinegar and the lemon juice.
3. Add the tomato paste and the sugar, then the red wine.
4. Add the beans and tomatoes and simmer slowly for about 20 minutes, stir gently so as not to break the beans up too much.
5. Place a layer of the bean mixture in the bottom of a baking dish, then top with the pasta and then the remainder of the bean mixture.
6. Sprinkle the top with cheese and then the oregano.
7. Bake at 200 degrees C until bubbling and the cheese on top is melted
8. Serve directly from the bowl with crusty Italian bread, and with yogurt on the side.