RecipesStill on the lookout for recipes that suit tighter food budgets
No surprise that since the beginning of the year, food editors around the country have spent a lot of time scrounging up recipes that can suit tighter food budgets.
For my own part, I have always tried to be sensible when selecting recipes for these pages. It"s a fine balance to keep when you want to tempt cooks to stretch their culinary wings a bit, yet not go overboard with time-consuming dishes or expensive ingredients.
I recommend using boneless chicken thighs, not breasts when making stews and dishes you will reheat. The thigh meat won"t dry out as easily as breast meat. Plus, it"s much less expensive to buy the bone-in thigh meat and debone it yourself.
CHICKEN PASTA FAGIOLI
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomato
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup small bow-tie pasta (other small shapes may be substituted)
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium high. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-6 minutes until soft. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned on all sides, 6-7 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomatoes and beans. Bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 12 minutes.
2. Ladle into four bowls; top each with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan. Makes 4 servings, each with 445 calories, 34 grams protein, 9 grams fiber, 14 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 1,385 mg sodium
Note: To reduce sodium, use low-sodium canned beans.
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