Italian Bean Stew

[DonnaAndTheDogs]

I thought I'd share one of my favorites. It's a good one for veggie lovers!

Italian Bean Stew

Ingredients:

- 4 – 6 TBSPS Olive Oil
- 1 small/medium onion – chopped
- 6 – 8 good sized garlic cloves – chopped
- 3 cans (14.5 oz) Cannelini Beans (well rinsed) (or you can use Great Northern Beans)
- 2 cans (15.5 oz) diced tomatoes (can substitute a couple of cups chopped fresh tomatoes, or one of the big cans of crushed – whatever you have in house)
- 1 package (12 – 16 oz) sliced & rinsed mushrooms – preferably Baby Bellas, but plain white ok
- Approx 2/3 of a lb frozen butternut squash cubes (or you can use fresh, just steam first until soft)
- Basil (approx 10 fresh leaves, torn) or (approx 4 frozen cubes) or (approx 1 heaping tsp dry)
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- 1/4 to 1/3 lb of pasta – pick your favorite shape (I like bowties in this meal)
- About ½ lb frozen artichoke hearts (optional)


Directions:

- Coat bottom of a stew pot with olive oil
- Saute onions, garlic & red pepper flakes in olive oil until well softened, but before it browns
- Add diced tomatioes, basil, butternut squash – bring to a low simmer
- Start a separate pot of water for cooking your pasta - stir tomatoes and squash occasionally while waiting for water to boil
- When water is boiling and you add your pasta to that pot, add the Cannelini beans to the tomato and squash mix and bring back up to a simmer
- Next, add sliced mushrooms & frozen artichoke hearts and again return to a simmer, but keep at a very low simmer as it will start to thicken – stir more frequently so bottom does not burn
- Once pasta is finished (I usually cook it al dente) drain it and set aside
- As soon as mushrooms are soft and artichoke hearts are cooked through, remove from heat, stir in pasta, and serve

Notes:

- Meal takes about an hour to make start to finish
- Tastes fine without artichoke hearts

[BigBrownDog]

That sounds really good Donna! Thanks for posting it.