This is an Italian classic with the added goodness of spinach and mushrooms. In fact, it’s such a “forgiving” recipe, you can throw all sorts of extra veggies in there and it still simmers to a wonderful sauce! I have added fresh zucchini, carrots, and even thinly sliced butternut squash on occasion, and sure enough…delicious! I use a store-bought simple tomato marinara sauce, so that’s one less thing to fuss about. You can of course make your marinara sauce from scratch but I find that as long as whatever brand you use has no added sugar and has those few simple ingredients you would expect in a wholesome marinara sauce (tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, onion, garlic and salt), you’ll be all set and can save yourself the time and hassle! The beans make it a complete meal, filled with protein and fiber so that’s particularly handy when you don’t have time to fuss. I like to serve it over whole wheat pasta (here is one I like). It’s all there in one pot-no extra dishes to wash-I love that!
Watch me make this recipe here in my kitchen!
Here it is simmering on my stove…so enticing isn’t it?
I like to serve it over wholegrain pasta—here is a brand (here is another one) I like very much, but feel free to use different types of pasta shapes too.
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 8 oz package raw sliced mushrooms (rinsed)
- 2 (8 oz) bags fresh pre-washed spinach
- 1 jar (32 oz) marinara sauce (no added sugar)
- 1 large can (1 lb,13 oz) small canellini beans—well rinsed and drained
- ½ cup pitted calamata olives
- 1 bay laurel leaf
- ½ tsp dry thyme leaves
- ⅛ tsp salt
- fresh ground pepper
- Serve over whole wheat pasta (12 oz package)
- Heat olive oil in a large pan and sauté chopped garlic for a few seconds.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes then, add the fresh spinach (one bag at a time as it is very bulky but, not to worry, it cooks down quickly!)
- Once the spinach is completely wilted (5-6 minutes), add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-12 minutes, uncovered
- Serve over whole wheat pasta.
Oh my Goodness John, I just found your comment I don;t know how I missed it!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE our enthusiasm always and can’t wait to have you try another one of my recipes, it fills me with joy, every time!! Thank you so much! 🙂
Thanks for making me more aware of the goodness in whole grains, Catherine. I read your posts first before landing here. The store I visited didn’t have the pitted calamata olives, but I decided to forge ahead regardless. Love olives. Enjoyed all the other ingredients. Piled in the spinach and watched it reduce to a manageable size. Value too the learnings about good nutrition (a fun journey) and enjoying the treasure hunt for another fantastic recipe – like this one! Even without the olives! Cheers!
Yummy yum! Got a little watery for us, but then we used a can of tomatoes instead of marinara sauce. Next time I will add some flaxseed to thicken the sauce. My girl actually for once ate some sauce parts (mushrooms, tomato pieces and some beans). Usually she just eats her whole wheat pasta.
Sybille, I LOVE it!!!!
Update: my now 8 month old baby girl also loves this. She is getting all excited when we dish this up. Her favorite parts are the olives, beans and mushrooms (and of course the pasta). Maybe because they come in perfect finger food size for her.
She shocked the lady selling olives at our local farmers market, by first getting excited when she saw the black marinated olives (herbs including garlic) and then actually eating some directly out of hand ;-). Because of your couscous salad we also know that our little one loves artichokes and chick peas, besides some classics like fruit, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes….and of course your cinnamon apples.
AW Sibylle, I LOVE this update!!!!! 🙂
Hi Catherine!
This recipe looks so delicious!
Is there any brand of no-sugar-added marinara sauce that you prefer?
Better still, do you have a recipe for a great homemade marinara sauce?
Thanks xoxo
Yes Shelah, just click on the 2 links above in the instructions and it will get you right to two of my favorite brands.
As for a homemade marinara sauce, it’s so simple, you just sauté crushed garlic in extra virgin olive oil and throw in lots of fresh tomatoes, a little salt, fresh thyme, a couple bay leaves and there you have it! You can’t go wrong with a marinara sauce from scratch, it’s just a little more time consuming!
Thanks, Catherine!
I’ll look for those brands. Or make my own when I have time…you’re right…it’s so easy!! 🙂
vivement l’hiver , qu’on se fasse ces bonnes soupes parfumées!!!
Merci, Madame de partager votre Pasta Fagiole..
C’est un plat si facile à faire et si délicieux à déguster .
Pour tout vous dire , j’ai confectionné votre recette pour des amis italiens…….ils l’ont trouvée si bonne qu’ils en étaient jaloux en appréciant le goût et la digestion si facile……..
Merci encore . Votre photo est “chaleureuse” et nous invite à rentrer en automne avec le sourire….. !!!
Merci mille fois, Madame Rose, pour votre commentaire si chaleureux et généreux! Quel compliment de la part de vos amis italiens!!!J’en suis vraiment ravie!!
Martine, Vous êtes adorable! Il me tarde aussi que vous en fassiez! Elles sont si réconfortantes!
Learned to love beans from your amazing recipes! Your sauces are unbelievably good and you make beans seem almost too good to be so healthy!
Hahaha Susan, what a wonderful thing to say!!! Thank you!!!
Fantastic! What a great idea for the leftovers! Thank you!!
Served this over whole wheat pasta for lunch yesterday – delish! Ate the leftovers plain today with baked potato on the side. I added a pinch of hot chili pepper for an extra kick. This recipe is definitely a repeat! Thank you!
Good for you LeeAnn! That your 3 year old ate beans and mushroom and tomato and olives and whole wheat pasta is wonderful, even if she didn’t like the spinach! Your little one will become more and more familiar with this dish, and who knows, he/she may not even mind the spinach anymore next time you make it (haha!!). That’s precisely how I would like people to use this website, making it work for you and your family, while always staying aware of the nutrition behind it and the trade-ups that you do. I love it! Thank you so much for your comment!
I love this recipe! I have to admit I added a tablespoon or more of olive oil at the end to finish it off and a bit of grated Parmesan cheese, which I know bumps up the fat and the sodium content…but I feel like it’s still so healthy that I didn’t overdue it too much. I also added another 2 cloves of garlic. It was really good and filling! My 3 year old ate a little..but she kept telling me she doesn’t like spinach, so I may have to leave that out of hers next time. : )