Pasta e Fagioli

This was one of those rather excellent 'stick your hand in the cupboard and see what you come out with' recipes. Happily my hand rested on a tin of Borlotti beans and pasta; just glad it wasn't custard and hemp seeds (don't ask!). It is great to have some standby tins at times just so you can rustle up some great wholesome meals. Match the beans with some great local produce from our local 'Country Market' and you have a great supper dish.

Serves 3 to 4

Tin of borlotti beans
Good handful of swiss chard leaves, roughly sliced
Courgette, cut in chunks
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
Onion, halved and sliced thinly
Pasta (I used penne but any shape like this would be good)
Roughly shredded basil

1. Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil gently over a low heat.
2. Add the swiss chard and about 5 minutes later the courgette. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Drain the borlotti beans and add to the pan. Cook for about 5/10 minutes.
4. Cook the pasta as to the instructions.
5. Drain the pasta and add the basil to the vegetable and borlotti bean mixture.
6. Serve the pasta and vegetable mixture with a sprig of basil and/ or a scraping of parmesan.