This is an awesome recipe, in Italy we eat it a lot! We eat it hot in the winter, and room temperature in the spring and summer!
The beans make it a complete meal with all the protein! If you want to put in different kind of beans please do so, it’s totally up to you, if you don’t like one kind use another one! Peas are also a great addition here!
The best thing about this is that its an awesome way to make your children’s lunch box the next day! Just heat it up and then and send it! a good thing is to add hot rice or pasta to it (but make sure you place enough liquid in it, so it doesn’t get dry!
I don’t have to much to say about this recipe, it seems hard because there are so many ingredients, but actually…. easy peasy, just a little chopping!
Ingredients
3 tbsp EVOO
1 garlic clove
1/2 Onion
300g Zucchini
200g Carrots
3 stalks Celery
150g Potato
50g Borlotti beans (soaked overnight or use the canned ones if it makes your life easier)
1 Tomato
150g Swiss Chard
1 Tbsp canned tomato
Italian Arborio rice 100gr (this is optional, you can also put some pasta or add white rice later)
Salt and pepper to taste
water
Fresh basil leaves if you have some
a little more olive oil for the sauce
Parmigiano cheese (grated)
Instructions
Soak Beans over night for 12 hours
Peel and cut all vegetables into cubes except the swiss chard
Start with heating the oil, add the garlic.
When the aroma of the garlic comes out, remove the garlic
Add the onion and cook until transparent
Then slowly add zucchini, carrot, celery, Potato (all chopped up in squares), then the beans
Add the tomato and the and salt, mix well and add water (not too much water, just enough to cover the veggies and a little more)
Cover and let it cook for 40 minutes
After 40 minutes check the beans, if they are almost ready add the rice and the swiss chard if not wait a bit
Add a few leaves of fresh basil (don’t use dry)
Let cook for another 20 minutes (if it is too dense add a little water)
Once the rice is ready you are done
Serve in individual bowls with a nice spoonful of grated parmigiano cheese
OH! one more things, I have one child that likes the chunks and the other two, that like it blended, so i do both, i blend some and keep some! Thats also why sometimes I don’t put the rice to cook inside and i make it on the side… then I add it after I blended it!
Enjoy!
