Years ago, when I first started cooking, in a small apartment in San Marcos, I found a cookbook called Looneyspoons. I tried lots of recipes from this book, and we loved all of them. Slowly, I bought more and more cookbooks, and this one got put on the shelf and sadly, forgotten about.

Until this week! I found it again, and am excited to be cooking from it again. It’s full of yummy, healthy recipes, plus tidbits of nutrition info. It’s a fun read–the recipes have silly names and lots of puns and jokes. For example, the authors have dubbed this recipe “Thou Shell Eat Beans.” This recipe is the first of many that I will be re-making.

Shells and Beans

• 1 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 ounces uncooked medium-sized shell-shaped pasta (about 3 cups dry)
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces)

Spray a large saucepan with non-stick spray. Add first 6 ingredients and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add tomato sauce and black beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare pasta shells according to package directions. Drain. Add shells to sauce and mix well. Ladle into individual serving bowls and sprinkle with cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Looneyspoons by Janet & Greta Podleski