Pasta e fagioli

Author: Jo Bridgford - Chef, Food Stylist

First published: Jul 2016

Serves: 8

Time to make: 7 hrs 15 mins

Hands-on time: 15 mins

Total cost: $31.20 / $3.90 per serve

(at time of publication)

Ingredients

More weights & measures

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon dried Italian herbs (basil, oregano and parsley)
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground coriandercilantroX
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
zest of lemon lemon ½ lemon
2 cups carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
2 cups silver beet, sliced
400g kumarasweet-potatoX or pumpkin, peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
2 x 400g cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups reduced-salt vegetable stock
3 cups water
400g can crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
20g parmesan rind (optional)
2 cups orzo
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup finely grated parmesan
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1 Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, celery and garlic and cook for 2—3 minutes. Add herbs and spices and cook for a further 2 minutes.

2 Transfer contents of pan to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, balsamic and parsley.

3 Turn slow cooker to low heat, cover and cook for 7 hours.

4 Half an hour before serving, stir in orzo and continue cooking.

5 Remove parmesan rind (if using), and stir in balsamic vinegar.

6 Serve hot, topped with grated parmesan and chopped parsley.

Variations

Make it gluten free: Use gluten-free pasta and check ground spices, stock and mustard are gluten free.

HFG tip

Freeze your leftover parmesan rinds and add them to slow cooker dishes like this to help develop robust flavours.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 432cal

Kilojoules 1810kJ

Protein 20g

Total fat 8g

–Saturated fat 3g

Carbohydrates 65g

–Sugars 14g

Dietary fibre 11g

Sodium 840mg

Calcium 260mg

Iron 4.5mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.

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