Orecchiette with Cannellini Beans and Spinach

As with the last time I made an orecchiette recipe, I could not find the actual "little ears" pasta (see post from April). So once again, feel free to substitute small shells pasta instead - and just make sure there are no eggs/egg whites in the ingredients list.

Cook two cups dry pasta (6 oz) according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat one teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. (Note: I was halving this recipe, so while the original called for a large skillet, I assumed I could make half the recipe in a medium skillet. I advise against this; still use the large one because my medium skillet was nearly overflowing!). Add 1/4 cup plus two tablespoons chopped onion, 1/4 cup shredded carrot, and one teaspoon bottled minced garlic to the skillet; saute 3 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon shredded vegan "parmesan" (in my case, the mozzarella block from Galaxy Foods: http://www.galaxyfoods.com/ourbrands/usa/vegan.asp). Also add one teapsoon dried basil, 1/2 cup vegetable broth, one 14-oz can whole plum tomatoes, undrained, and 3/4 cup canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained. Simmer it all for 5 minutes.

(Another note: I realized only as I went to cook this that I was out of dried basil! Dried oregano made a good substitute in a pinch. Also, the recipe called for chopping the plum tomatoes, but since it also called for them undrained, I poured the whole can into the skillet and broke up the tomatoes directly in the pan, rather than risk losing some of the canning liquid by chopping them separately on a cutting board).

After 5 minutes of simmering, add 3 oz pre-packaged spinach, and cook one more minute until it wilts. Add in the pasta, and toss to combine.

The yield for this recipe is 3 servings of one and a half cups each. Top each serving with an additional teaspoon of "parmesan" and 2 teaspoons of breadcrumbs. 400 calories per serving.

Cost:
pasta $2.19
onion $0.82
bottled minced garlic $5.99
vegan cheese $3.39
canned plum tomatoes $1.99
cannellini beans $0.79
spinach $2.50