Food on Friday: Dreamy and creamy spaghetti and beans

I’m sure I’m not the only person to have been suckered into believing that I can complete one of Rachael Ray’s dishes in 30 minutes or less. An hour after I started I’m still putting the finishing touches on her Creamy Spaghetti and Beans. That’s okay – I’ve made this recipe many times before, and I know it’s worth it. It’s a fantastic pasta meets beans meets stew combo, with rich, earthy flavors and most of the time is spent adding and stirring chicken stock, so it’s pretty relaxed.

But apparently this recipe can be quite controversial – many believe that this recipe absolutely MUST contain tomatoes and tomato paste. I’ve never tried it that way, and I’d love to hear from anyone who has. Either way, I highly recommend this recipe for a cold winter night. Just make sure you’re okay with waiting more than 30 minutes for dinner…

Recipe’s after the break.

Creamy Spaghetti and Beans

Recipe from Rachael Ray, 2007

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 pound chunk pancetta chopped into small dice
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into a small dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 (15-ounce) can Roman beans or small white beans
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup dry white wine, eyeball it
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• A generous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions

Place the stock in a sauce pot and warm it over medium heat then reduce to simmer.

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil and the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the pancetta to brown slightly. Next add the garlic and spaghetti and toast the noodles
lightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions and carrots, bay leaf and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Soften veggies a bit, 5 minutes. Add wine and allow it to be completely absorbed. Add beans then add a few ladles of stock and stir the pasta. Keep adding stock a few ladles at a time allowing liquids to be mostly absorbed before adding more, as if you were preparing a risotto. When liquids are absorbed and spaghetti is cooked to al dente, 12-15 minutes, stir in cheese. Adjust salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir another minute. Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems. Serve in shallow bowls and garnish with lots of parsley.