Black Bean Pasta w/Spinach

By Bibigallini

A versatile tomato sauce with the added protein of black beans and veggie sausage. Served over pasta, rice, or polenta, this is a hearty meal all by itself.

Ingredients

• 1 10 or 12 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 can partially drained black beans
• 1 10 or 12 oz. can diced tomatoes--pulsed a couple of times in the blender
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 small zucchini, finely diced
• 1 package sliced fresh mushrooms
• 4 soy polish sausages, such as Tofurky sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 T dried basil
• Salt
• Pepper

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 45mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. Saute chopped sweet onion and garlic over medium-low heat until translucent.
2. Add the zucchini, and mushrooms--saute until soft.
3. Add the oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste and continue to saute until the vegetables are cooked through.
4. Add in the soy sausage chunks and saute briefly.
Next add the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce, and the partially drained black beans, and stir to mix ingredients. Let simmer until heated through.
5. When heated through, add baby spinach and let simmer until spinach is cooked.

Serve over whole wheat pasta or polenta--either the store-bought version or make your own. It can also be layered with eggplant and soy mozzarella and baked in the oven for a different twist on eggplant parmesan.