Here we go, continuing our quest to cook our way through Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Express with Winter recipe #89. The colors are really beautiful, and the combination of the beans, the meat and the toothsome pasta give it some heft as well. Not to mention the addition of the greens, which pretty much means nearly all the food groups are included. Multiple sources of protein and the potential to include whole grains? Healthy, tasty, and fast? (Don’t lecture me on whether the Italian sausage is healthy… substitute your sausage of choice, chicken or even fake sausage, as long as it’s flavorful).

Put some water on to boil with a pinch or two of salt. Cook the pasta. We’re trying to eat more interesting grains and less wheat, so we went with a farro penne, but you can use any pasta you want. I like the short shaped pasta for this dish because it’s easier to grab a forkful off all the stuff together but if you like long noodles, why not? Anyway, cook till done (my farro pasta about 10 minutes), drain and reserve some of the cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, fry up some Italian sausage meat, breaking into small pieces and browning / cooking through. You can either get the meat loose or in sausages and just remove the casings. Bittman recommends “a couple of sweet Italian sausages” — I used approximately a pound of sausage meat. Drain a large can of diced tomatoes as well as a can of chickpeas, and add both to the pan. Add in a tablespoon of crushed fennel seeds and a pinch of red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. The fennel and red pepper help bring the “sauce” to life and give what it really a very simple combination some depth and complexity.

Toss the pasta with a couple of handfuls of greens and let the greens wilt. The recipe says arugula but really any tender green will do, and I used a mix of baby spinach, arugula and radicchio (one of those organic salad mixes). Add the pasta into the sausage mixture, and if you want it a little moister, this is where to use the reserved pasta water. I didn’t use any.

Eat up. It’s hearty. And next time, I would grate some fresh parmigiano on top. What’s not to love about cheese? Plus, adding the dairy food group to make this truly a well-rounded meal.

I don’t have enough ambition to cook my way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking or through The French Laundry Cookbook or definitely not through the Alinea cookbook. These women are the few and the brave. But the other day after prepping another quick and easy meal from Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Expresss, my husband announced, “Hey, we could cook our way through this book!.” And actually, we are, if in a random, disorganized manner. Now that we’ve set it as an actual goal, watch this space for more and more Bittman recipes.

The other day we whipped up a batch of Saffron Chickpea soup and just didn’t find it flavorful enough. That doesn’t mean it’s off our list permanently because I think with some tweaking it could be better. But with all the other recipes to tick our way through first it will be a long time before we loop back.

Instead today I made the White Bean Stew, which was super speedy and delivered on flavor. And I made just one adjustment, replacing the handful of ham with a handful of bacon. Because, you know, everything’s better with bacon. This recipe couldn’t be easier if you’re ok with using canned beans. And even if you’re not, because you could cook up some beans on the weekend and just save them to use in this dish or any other later in the week.

I really liked this soup — hearty and tasty, and healthy too, covering all the food groups, particularly if you serve it as recommended with some toasted garlic-y bread. Next time I might add some fresh herbs, especially basil, for some additional brightness. Or a squeeze of lemon. But overall verdict: would make again for sure.

Kitchen Express White Bean Stew

Mince a couple of cloves of garlic (I went overboard here and used like 4 or more, but adjust to your taste) and chop up enough bacon to be roughly a handful. The bacon should be a thick-cut type ideally. Warm a little oil in the pot, and saute the garlic and bacon long enough for them to become fragrant. The bacon doesn’t need to crisp up but it should cook a little and let some of its oils out.

Pour in a can of chopped tomatoes, including the liquid. Add a can of white beans (I like Great Northern in this but you could use cannellini or any other white bean) or equivalent of say 2 cups if you’re using home-cooked. Include the liquid from the can too. Add another cup of broth or more bean cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper and let ‘er rip until she boils. Let the stew simmer away as long or as short a time as you like — a little longer helps the flavors meld together. Throw in a couple of handfuls of spinach or other green until they wilt, and serve.