ONE POT MEXICAN BLACK BEAN PASTA

January 28, 2019 by Renee Tavoularis

Ingredients 

For the MEXICAN BLACK BEAN PASTA:

1 ½ cups homemade vegetable stock (see below) or water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bell peppers, stem and seeds removed, sliced into strips
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 ounces gluten-free pasta
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups packed kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
½ avocado, sliced

For the VEGETABLE STOCK:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons dried parsley (or dried thyme or oregano)
1 piece kombu
6 cups water

Instructions

For the VEGETABLE STOCK:

• In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
• Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• After 5 minutes, add in the parsley, kombu and water. Bring to a low boil and then reduce the heat to low.
• Let simmer for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour (the longer it simmers, the deeper the flavors will be).
• Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve.
• Store stock in an airtight container either in the fridge if it will be used within 5 days or in the freezer for longer storage.

For the ONE POT MEXICAN BLACK BEAN PASTA:

• In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, peppers, oregano, cumin, coriander and cayenne. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the black beans and the tomato paste to the pot and cook for two minutes before adding the dried pasta. Stir so that the pasta and black beans are evenly distributed around the pan before adding in the vegetable stock or water. Be sure that the pasta is fully submerged and stir the pasta a bit to ensure it does not stick together.
• Place the lid on the pot and bring it to a boil before reducing the heat to low and simmering for 10-15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally to break up the pasta.
• Right before serving, add in the kale and stir to incorporate. Season with the salt and pepper.
• Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro and avocado.