It is Friday and that means it is time for another Frugal Fridays, a weekly blog event dedicated to producing great food on a budget. The premise is to create a dinner for a family of four with 10 dollars or less. It is also time for another Presto Pasta Nights, a weekly roundup (this week hosted by Michelle at Greedy Gourmet) of delicious pasta recipes. So what did I make for this two events this week? This:
I know it doesn’t look special. What’s special about pasta hotdogs and broccoli? Not much, until you add a delicious bean and tomato sauce. This is how it looked after the makeover:
The secret, as always, is in the sauce. Here’s the recipe for it:
Ben’s bean sauce
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
For this recipe you will need:
- 1 TBSP butter
- 1 cup pinto beans, cooked and drained
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 small onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 tsp Italian herbs
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Heat butter in a saucepan until it melts, reduce heat.
- Blend together pinto beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic and chicken broth until smooth.
- Pour on sauce pan. Keep hands and face away from the pan.
- Add red wine, herbs and sugar and mix well. Season to taste.
- Bring to a boil and let cook for 6-7 minutes.
- Serve over pasta and enjoy.
This is an easy to make, frugal and very delicious sauce that goes perfectly with anything. Add some chipotles adobados to give it some heat and use it for enchiladas (that would technically be enfrijoladas, I’ll tell you about these later) or any other dish that calls for a sauce.
¡Buen provecho!
20 Replies
Yum!…another lovely creation Ben…and good for those on a budget too.
Posted on August 8th, 2008 at 8:57 am
that certainly does look like a kid friendly meal
Posted on August 8th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Blending the beans into a sauce sounds like a great idea. I’ve been looking for ways to include beans into the diet, but since we’re not big bean eaters, if the beans are left whole, nobody will touch them. I can imagine the beans here giving the sauce a certain depth and richness, even meatiness. Thanks for sharing this. Great stuff!
Posted on August 8th, 2008 at 10:59 am
If I’m out of red wine and used another 1/2 cup of broth, would the recipe come up short in flavor?
My kids would totally love this dish.
Posted on August 8th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Although my kids don’t like broccoli, they might even eat them in this recipe.
Posted on August 8th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I’ve been eating hot dogs like a crazy woman lately, so this looks sooo good! And a great way to switch it up and get some other nutrients!
Posted on August 8th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
The sauce would rival any tomato-based sauce! Really simple to put together, too.
Posted on August 8th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Oh, yum! I can’t wait to try this, Ben!
Posted on August 8th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Butter, red wine, sugar. Hmmmm, this sauce definitely looks scrumptious!
Posted on August 8th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
[...] Ben of What’s Cooking? proves to all of us that a bland looking bowl of pasta, meat and veg can be jazzed up in a jiffy with a special sauce, Ben’s Bean Sauce. [...]
Posted on August 8th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Hey Ben , one thing i know for sure is that if i ever get invited to your place for a meal, i’ll surly be overeating. Your food always looks so good !
Posted on August 9th, 2008 at 6:08 am
Ben, thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Night. Nothing says frugal like pasta. So many ways to cook up an inexpensive supper.
Posted on August 9th, 2008 at 6:15 am
I’m sorry, but I have to bust your stones on this. Hot dogs, egg noodles, broccoli and bean-tomato sauce? Am I the only one who sees what the Emperor is wearing? XD
I hope you know that I mean this affectionately, by the way.
Posted on August 10th, 2008 at 1:04 am
I could do this – I could also really enjoy this. I’m not usually a big pasta person but when you start mixing it with beans, you definitely get my attention.
Posted on August 10th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
You surely use your imagination everytime you cook. This is an interesting pasta.
Posted on August 10th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Would you believe it if I told you I’m not big on sauce when it comes to a pasta dish? Well, at the sound of your tomato-bean sauce I’d definitely ask you to double the sauce for me
Posted on August 12th, 2008 at 5:59 am
I have to admit that I love beans and hot dogs together – and over pasta really makes it great too! Way to get frugal, Ben!
Posted on August 12th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Why wait for a budget night for that. I’ll take a plate right now!
Posted on August 15th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Ben I have an award for you.
Posted on August 18th, 2008 at 11:29 am
I like this dish. This is how I cook at home. And yes, it is frugal. Trying to stay within a budget makes you become creative. Great dish Ben.
Posted on August 18th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Leave a reply