Tomato Pasta Sauce with Bacon and Silverbeet

Directions
Preparation:25min  ›  Cook:25min  ›  Ready in:50min 

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil for cooking pasta.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and bacon then cook over medium heat, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring 10 to 20 seconds. Add diced tomatoes, tomato passata, beans and water. Bring to the boil. Cook, uncovered, at a lively simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until flavours have blended, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with pepper.
3. Meanwhile, add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the packet directions. Add silverbeet leaves when there are 4 minutes of cooking time left, and continue cooking until the pasta is just tender and silverbeet has wilted. Drain well and return pasta to saucepan. Mix in sauce, basil or parsley. Top each serve with a little Parmesan.

Tip

The celery-like stems of silverbeet are edible and have a pleasant, mild taste. Cut them into bite-sized pieces and pan-fry in a little olive oil until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. * Leftovers? Transform them into a pasta gratin. Spread the leftovers in a shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with grated Parmesan and low-GI breadcrumbs. Bake, uncovered, at 220 degrees C until the top is golden and crusty, 25 to 30 minutes.