You say Passata, I say Passato, Some say Passata di Pomodoro

I told you the other day about my friend Cam, of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, sending me a jar of her homemade pasatta.  I couldn't believe that she did that, I smiled every time I would look at that jar sitting on my counter.

I was excited to use it. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Passata, it is a thick tomato puree that you can use as a starter for any dish in which you would use tomato sauce.  It is commonly paired with white beans in Italy and I thought it would make a perfect Meatless Monday meal.

I started out cooking up some onions and garlic, generously seasoned with salt and pepper in some olive oil.  When the onions were tender I added some Swiss chard that I had in the refrigerator and let it wilt down.  I added a can of Cannelini beans that had been rinsed and drained and a T. of Italian Herb paste.  Then I added the passata that had some basil leaves in it and let it cook for a few minutes to meld all the flavors.

I was going to serve the stew by itself with some good crusty bread.  But I didn't have any bread and I didn't think about it early enough to start a loaf.  I thought about serving it over pasta and then I spied the Spaghetti Squash on my counter.  Perfect.  I threw that in the oven and let it bake and then scraped each half out onto a plate.

I spooned the stew over the spaghetti squash, sprinkled on some cheese and dinner was served.  It was delicious Cam.  Thank you so much.  When we said grace before dinner we sent a special blessing your way.

White Bean and Passata Stew

1 T. olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

8-10 Swiss Chard leaves, coarsely chopped

1 (15 oz) can Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

1 T. Italian Herb Paste or 1 t. dried Italian Herbs

1 pint Passata di Pomodoro

In a large skillet over med high heat cook the onion and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper, in olive oil until tender.  Add the chard.  Cook and stir until wilted.  Add the beans and Italian herbs.  Cook and stir until heated through.  Add the passata and cook for 10-15 minutes until the flavors have melded together.  Serve as is or over pasta or spaghetti squash if desired.  Print Recipe

This post contains affiliate links.  Should you buy a product using this link, your price remains the same but I receive a small stipend to help offset the costs of this blog.