Quick and easy dinners are a life-saver after a long day. Pasta dishes fit the bill perfectly, because while you wait for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, you can chop and saute veggies and warm sauces. It involves a small amount of multi-tasking, but the result is a relative fast meal that doesn’t skimp on flavor.

Recently, a friend was seeking suggestions on what to do with Great Northern White Beans. These are one of my favorite pantry items to go to, so I provided her with a couple of my white bean recipes, and it got me thinking about other white bean dishes. This recipe is what I could call a pantry-scraper, because all of the ingredients I stock regularly (except zucchini, and really, a can of diced tomatoes would work here just as well).

Spaghetti w/ Zucchini & White Beans

8 oz dried spaghetti, broken in half
Sea salt
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 medium size zucchini, diced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 can (15 oz) Great Northern White Beans, drained and rinsed
Parmesan cheese, optional

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tbsp sea salt and dried spaghetti. Cook 8-10 minutes, until desired tenderness. Drain, toss in olive oil, and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat about 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet. Saute garlic and onions with about 1/4 tsp salt for 3-5 minutes, until softened. Add zucchini, red pepper flakes, and oregano and saute 3-5 minutes, until zucchini is cooked through but still crisp. Add white beans and saute until warmed through, about 2-3 minutes. Add additional olive oil to pan if needed.

Add cooked pasta to skillet. Toss, adding some reserved pasta water if pasta begins to stick. Top with Parmesan cheese before serving, if desired.

Originally, this recipe came from the local newspaper. When I started making it, however, it called for 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup cheese in the soup. That gave me pause because I have never used that much butter in soup, and it didn’t seem like a cheese-based soup. It seemed like the recipe was using butter and cheese to add flavor, rather than building the flavors of the soup with herbs, onions, and other healthy ingredients.

I started tinkering with the recipe, as I tend to do, and ended up with something very different from the original. I changed proportions, added and subtracted ingredients, and completely disregarded the use of butter or cheese. The end result was fantastic! James and I both enjoyed this hearty soup, packed full of vegetables and protein-rich great northern beans. A relatively small amount of sausage (1/2 lb) gives flavor and body to the soup.

Great Northern Bean & Sausage Soup

1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
sea salt
2-3 small or medium carrots, diced
1 can (14-15 oz) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cans (15 oz each) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
6 cups chicken stock or broth
6 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
black pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook sausage until browned, crumbling with a wooden spoon. Add onions, garlic, carrots and a pinch of salt. Saute until onions soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes with liquid, thyme sprigs, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Add beans and cook until most of the liquid has cooked off, about 5-7 minutes.

Add chicken stock to pan. Using wooden spoon, scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and stir in chopped spinach. Reduce heat to low and simmer until spinach wilts, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add black pepper to taste. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Frugal Breakdown:
1/2 lb sausage: $1.48
1 onion: $0.50
3 garlic cloves: negligible
sea salt: negligible
2-3 carrots: $0.75
1 can diced tomatoes: $1.05
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme: $0.50
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes: negligible
2 cans great northern beans: $1.78
6 cups chicken broth: $2.29
6 cups fresh spinach: $2.00
black pepper: negligible
TOTAL: $10.35

Verdict: So close! Though the sausage is not necessary, which would bring the total to $8.87. Some of the broth could be replaced with water, which would decrease the total as well. The total would probably increase even more with the original version including butter and cheese.

Regardless of the price, this was a huge hit. We also had couple rolls on the side from the local bakery, which added $1.50 to the meal. There are easily 6 servings of this soup, so even at the original price that is only $1.72 per serving, plus about $3 for rolls. The soup is even better the next day, after the flavors have a chance to mingle.