Stanley Tucci’s midweek tomato pasta

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, halved

½ bunch cavolo nero, stems removed and just the leaves roughly chopped

3 x 400g tins cannellini beans (720g drained weight total)

720ml (3 cups) chicken stock

480ml (2 cups) marinara sauce

450g spaghetti

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino, for serving

METHOD

Pour a glug of the oil into a pan and sauté the onion and garlic over medium-low heat until soft. Add the beans, stock, and marinara to the pan with the onion and garlic and stir together. Cook over low heat.

At the same time, boil the cavolo nero in a small pot of salted water. When soft, strain it, add it to the bean mixture, and stir. Continue to cook on a low simmer with the lid askew for about 15 minutes.

Remove half the mixture and puree it – set aside. Boil the pasta in salted water according to the directions on the package. When it’s done, strain it, reserving about a cup of the water,

Place spaghetti in a large bowl – add about 1 cup of the bean mixture to the pasta along with 1 cup of the pureed mixture. Add some of the pasta water if it needs it.

Salt to taste. Add more bean mixture to each bowl along with a drizzle of oil. Sprinkle with pepper and Parmigiano.

Recipe credit: Desert and Dishes