Served at room temperature or chilled, this is a great meal year round. The dressing  mixes with the Romaine/celery while you eat. (Revised 5/23/20)

Ingredients:
One cup dried small pasta
Two cans (drained and rinsed) or 3 cups cooked white (Cannellini) beans
One bunch of scallions, green parts, sliced half inch long
1/2 cup or more Kalamata olives, roughly chopped (you can get a cool little barrel of them from Amazon.)
Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
One head of packaged Romaine hearts, cut crosswise into 1/2" strips, then halved lengthwise
2" of a celery bunch cut crosswise into quarter inch slices.

For the dressing: Add 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon each of sugar and salt, black pepper to taste and a tablespoon of Dijon or Spicy Brown mustard to 5 tablespoons of olive oil and  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or vinegar. Whisk with a fork.

Directions:
Cook the pasta, rinse and add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, (except the lettuce and celery),
and mix with the dressing.
Divide the Romaine and celery mixture into two large serving bowls. Push the lettuce to the edges of the bowl. Heap the Provencal mixture in the centers of the bowls and serve.
Hint: In the summer you can slice off kernels of fresh corn and then add them into the pasta pot for the last minute of cooking,  rinse both the pasta and corn in a colander and add to the dish.

Spanish Brown lentils are available in some specialty stores, but you don't need them for this recipe. They just sound tastier. Use any color lentil but red, which get mushy. This is the only simple lentil salad recipe that I actually want to eat, not just take to the pot luck fund raiser.

Ingredients:
One cup of brown or green lentils
2 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
Half a red onion chopped
One small red bell pepper chopped
One cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, de-seeded with a spoon, the halves cut into 1/2"strips, then chopped 1/4" long.
2 cups parsley leaves.
Feta cheese for garnish

Directions:
Cook the lentils in the 2 1/2 cups water or stock with  1/2 teaspoon salt for 30 minutes, then put in a colander to drain and cool a little.
Make the dressing: Combine 5 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons Balsamic or red wine vinegar, one clove of garlic finely minced or put through a press, 1 full teaspoon Dijon mustard, and a little more than a 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and sugar, and whisk to combine.
When you are ready, combine the lentils, the vegetables and the dressing, serve and garnish with a some feta cheese.

If you can find ripe tomatoes, this is great. No cooking except for the pasta. Thanks to  Rose Shulman for the inspiration.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 can of small red beans or your bean of choice, rinsed and drained
1 cup of Ditalini pasta. You can use any small pasta or pearl couscous. I liked the sound of Ditalini.
One large garlic clove, finely minced or put through a press.
1/3 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
A couple scallions, white parts chopped, green parts 1/2"
Romaine, Spinach or Iceberg to make a bed of greens in your bowl.
A sprinkling of feta cheese

Directions:
In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil and scallions with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of salt and some fresh black pepper. Let it sit at least 15 minutes while you make your pasta. Stir a few times.
When you are ready put the beans in a colander, dump the cooked pasta on top, rinse both with cold water. Then add the pasta and beans to the tomato mixture, and mix well. Make a bed of  greens in your bowl, add the mixture, and crumble some feta on top.

Partially mashed white beans make a sauce for this neat combination of tastes and textures.

Ingredients:
8 oz. small pasta, your choice
One can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
One small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
One small lemon (juice and zest)
One large or two small bunches of parsley, about 3+ cups of leaves. I use flat leaf, and just chop the head off the bunch.
1/2 teaspoon salt, pinch of hot pepper flakes, ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock

Directions:
Combine the parsley, Parmesan and lemon juice and zest in a bowl
Saute the onion, garlic, pepper flakes salt and pepper until the onion is soft, a few minutes.
Add the beans and stock, bring to a boil, and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, and mash about half the beans to thicken the sauce. Then cook the pasta until almost done, drain and add to the sauce. Bring heat up to just a boil, stir, turn off the heat, cover, and let the pasta and bean liquid sit for 3 or 4 minutes while the pasta finishes cooking and absorbs the extra liquid.
Add the bowl of parsley, cheese and lemon, stir, and serve with additional Parmesan if it suits you.

 The highway to diet hell is paved with these dark chocolate treats. Three and a half minutes from start to perdition.

Ingredients:
Ghiradelli 60% dark chocolate baking chips
Crumbled nuts (peanuts, almonds, whatever)
Salt

Directions: (Revised)
Put about an ounce of chocolate chips in a small paper muffin cup (Betty Crocker, 50 to a package).. Put cups on a plate, put plate in microwave for 3 minutes. You want the chips to just melt. Take out, add some nuts, mix with a toothpick, sprinkle a little coarse salt on top, cool and freeze.
The first one is free. Don't eat the paper.
(Actually, we have found the silicone baking cups work very well)

This is a kind of wonderful alchemy from Rose Shulman of the NYT. The marinade is cold, the pasta is hot, and the result is startling. A little hard to believe something so simple and so easy to make, is so good. You can serve it hot or room temperature. (Revised March 2020)

Ingredients:
3/4 pound fusille, orecchiette, or other pasta.
One pint of ripe cherry tomatoes
2 small or one large garlic clove, minced fine
1 cup firmly packed arugula
3 or 4 basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
Parmesan for grating.

Directions:
Halve or quarter the tomatoes, chop the arugula, "sliver" or finely chop the basil, mince the garlic, and put in a large bowl with the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix and let marinate for 15 minutes or more. Stir the mixture a few times while it sits.
There is no hurry. When you are ready, cook the pasta and add it to the bowl, mix together and serve with the Parmesan. It is good hot, warm or room temperature.

Almost worthwhile getting a cold so you can have this. Use any noodle or mushroom you like. Don't make it if you are horrified of salt.

Ingredients:
One pound of mushrooms chopped very coarsely
Half a pound of noodles, your choice
One medium onion, chopped fine
4 cloves of garlic, minced
One small bunch of scallions, chopped fine. Leave 4" of green parts and cut them 1/2" for garnish
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup good soy sauce. Low sodium soy sauce is not good soy sauce, OK?
1/4 cup rice or red wine vinegar
3 cups vegetable stock or water. Add more if you want a weaker broth

Directions:
In your wok or deep pan saute the garlic, onions, scallions and pepper flakes on medium-high heat, then add the chopped mushrooms. Cook and stir the mushrooms until they lose most of their water and are browned, about ten minutes.
Add the soy sauce, vinegar, water or vegetable stock and sesame oil, and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and relax. When you have finished your drink, put your noodles in boiling salted water and cook until almost done. Drain and add them to the broth, and cook for a minute or two.
Put the noodles into your bowls with tongs, then ladle the mushroom broth on top, and add the scallion slices.

Another very simple and surprising meal. And it is so good for you that you will live into your 90's and die in your sleep after winning the dance marathon.

Ingredients:
Two cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
One half of a 7oz. jar of sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
Half a 12oz. bag of chopped kale
Three cloves garlic, minced
Tablespoon cider vinegar
Half teaspoon salt, quarter teaspoon black pepper, cayenne pepper

Directions:
In a large bowl add the beans, chopped tomatoes, two tablespoons of the oil from the tomatoes, the vinegar, salt, pepper and cayenne, and mix.
In your wok or deep sauce pan saute the garlic in two tablespoons olive oil, then add the kale and two tablespoons water. Saute the kale until wilted, just a minute or two. Stir in  the bean mixture and heat until just boiling at the edge. Serve.

This is a fun change, and really easy. Really.

Ingredients:
The zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 small container of full fat Ricotta (about a cup)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 pound large shells or any pasta you are fond of.

Directions:
While you are boiling the salted water for your pasta, mix the cheeses, the lemon juice and the zest in your large sauce pan or wok. No heat required.
A few minutes before your pasta is done, take 1/2 cup of the pasta water and mix it with the cheese mixture.
When the pasta is done, drain it, then blend it into the cheese mixture. Done. Serve and garnish with black pepper and a few hot pepper flakes.

A wonderful soup. You can experiment with toppings.

Ingredients:
One 16 oz. package of frozen corn, yellow or white, or both
3/4 pound red potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
One medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 quarter size pieces fresh ginger, minced
Two serrano chiles, sliced thin
3 tablespoons olive oil
One can full fat coconut milk
2 cups vegetable stock or water
One teaspoon salt
Lime wedges for squeezing, coconut flakes for garnish

Directions:
Saute the onions, garlic, ginger and peppers in the olive oil a few minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1/2 hour.
When you are ready, use your potato masher or an immersion blender to thicken the soup.
Garnish with the coconut flakes and squeeze some lime while you eat.

I am crazy about this dish. Great tasting and easy, a real surprise. Chinese comfort food. My brother Brian found out about this when he was searching for ways to use his tomato harvest. (Updated 12/19)

Ingredients:
One cup of rice, two cups of water, pinch of salt. Make like this.
5 eggs, mush cooked, like this.
One pound ripe tomatoes, quartered. Compari brand is dependable if you don't have a garden. Cherry tomatoes work too.
One small bunch of scallions, white parts chopped, green parts sliced 1/2" long
One tablespoon sugar
One teaspoon salt
Some pepper flakes if you feel like it
Olive oil

Directions:
Put the quartered tomatoes, the scallions, the hot pepper flakes and the sugar and salt in a bowl, mix and let marinate a little.
Cook the rice first, so it will be ready.
Cook the eggs as above, slide into a bowl, rough chop them into largish pieces.
When you are ready, slide the tomato mixture into your hot pan, cook over high heat for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to loose liquid, turn the heat down a little, cover and cook a few minutes more.
You are trying for a lot of tomato liquid plus barely identifiable tomatoes.
Add the eggs to the tomatoes, combine well, and serve over rice.
This dish tastes great with brown rice made with vegetable stock. (Make like white rice but cook 40 minutes)

(If your baby leaves you lone and lorn, make this a great, fast meal for one. Use 1/2 lb. tomatoes, three eggs, 2 teaspoons sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, pepper flakes, and put the tomatoes, sugar, salt, scallions and pepper flakes together in a bowl while you cook the rice. When the rice is done, cook the eggs and then the tomato mixture as above. Brown rice also works well in this.)

 Oh boy. This is slightly modified Indian Dal recipe from Nigella Lawson of the NYT.  Wonderful with Jasmine rice on the side. "Dal" is an Indian word for a thick soup made with "pulses": lentils, peas or beans. (modified 11/19)

Ingredients:
One medium sweet potato, about 10 ounces, chopped
One medium yellow or red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 quarter sized pieces of fresh ginger, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup red lentils
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (or 8 oz. can tomato sauce)
1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, cumin seed, coriander seed, ground ginger, and 1 teaspoon salt.
1/4 teaspoon each black pepper and cayenne . Grind all the spices together in a mortar and pestle.
About one and a quarter cup water or vegetable stock ( adjust for proper consistency)
1 can coconut milk
For the rice: 1/2 cup jasmine rice, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Directions:
In your soup pot saute the sweet potato, onion, garlic and ginger in the olive oil for about ten minutes, or until the onions are transparent
Add the spices and the lentils and stir until coated with oil
Add the tomatoes, water and coconut milk
Heat until boiling, then reduce to a simmer
(Pause for a minute to get the rice going) 
Cook the dal mixture about 35 minutes, checking and stirring to prevent the dal sticking to bottom of pan. Turn off the heat, use a potato masher to break up and mix the ingredients. The consistency should be like a very thick soup or a puree.
Serve the dal with the rice on the side, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt and some cilantro and cayenne pepper for color.

Another nice surprise made from a modified Rose Shulman recipe. The garlic rubbed baguette toast is boffo.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
6 oz. baby spinach
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 largish yellow onion
3 or 4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon cumin seed, pan toasted briefly
Thick sliced french baguette bread, toasted, rubbed with cut cloves of garlic, and drizzled with olive oil
Some fresh lemon slices

Directions:
Toast the cumin seed and then grind it in your mortar and pestle with the salt, pepper and cayenne.
In your large saucepan/pot saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil, add the tomato paste and saute for two minutes more. The paste should darken. Add the ground spices, stock or water, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more water or stock if the mix is too dry. It should be slightly soupy. Turn off the heat. Relax. When you are ready,  toast the bread and prepare as above.
Put your toasted bread in your serving  bowls. Turn the heat back on the chickpea mix, add the spinach and stir and cook until just wilted. Serve on the toast, and add some lemon squeezes while eating.

This is terrific. Made in one pot too. If you buy the pesto it takes only minutes. You need to find  "stringless" sugar snap peas. You can also make it with haricot vertes (green beans) if you are feeling French. (Revised October 2019)

Ingredients:
One half of a 7 oz. container pre-made pesto, or more to taste. (For a real thrill, you can pound your own pesto here)
3/4 lb. Linguine pasta
8 oz. unpeeled baby red potatoes, sliced into 1/4" pieces
8 oz. "Mann's" or similar stringless sugar snap peas, or a handful of green beans cut bite size
Cilantro for serving

Directions:
Warm a serving bowl in the oven.
Boil salted water. Add the potatoes and cook 5 or 6 minutes. Add the pasta and cook until just done, usually 8 to ten minutes. Add the peas or beans for the last minute or so, to heat them. (You can also just leave the peas or beans in the bottom of  your colander. They will heat when you drain the pasta/potatoes.)
Drain, mix with the pesto a little at a time in the warm bowl, and serve with cilantro.

Sometimes potatoes just hit the spot.  It's great when something unassuming like this works.
Serve it with or without the poached egg.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 lbs. baby red potatoes cut in half
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
I cup water or vegetable stock
1 cup cilantro chopped coarsely
6 small or three large scallions, white and green parts sliced
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Grind the spices together in your mortar and pestle. Heat the olive oil and saute the onion well, add the ground spices, potatoes and chickpeas, and stir to coat everything. Add the stock or water, heat to just boiling, turn heat down to a simmer, cover, cook 15 minutes, stir, cover, cook another 15 minutes.
Most of the liquid will have been absorbed. Turn off the heat, add the scallions and most of the cilantro. Garnish with the remaining cilantro.

Corn cut from the cob, and a lime/yogurt dressing make this a great summer dinner salad. Find your freshest corn and ripest cherry tomatoes.

Ingredients:
3 pieces corn on cob
One can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 pound chunky pasta, shells or similar
Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
Three stalks celery, sliced
Small head or four or five leaves of Romaine lettuce, chopped, or a couple handfuls of baby spinach
Half of red bell pepper, sliced thin
One lime for the dressing, and a small container of plain Greek whole milk or 2% Greek yogurt. We like Fage because of the consistency.

Dressing:
To half a cup of plain Greek yogurt (one 6 oz. container) add 2 cloves finely chopped garlic, the juice of one lime, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, a quarter cup of olive oil,  fresh ground pepper and a half teaspoon salt. Add a little cayenne if you are feeling frisky.
Whisk with a fork.

Directions:
Slice the corn kernels off the cobs, and add them to your boiling pasta for the last minute of cooking.
Drain the pasta and corn in cold water, and add to the other salad ingredients.
Toss with some or all of the dressing when ready to serve. Sprinkle a little cayenne or chili powder for color.

'
Fast and fun, and close enough to the real thing.  It's good with the eggs, but you can do without. (Edited February 2020)

Ingredients:
Half pound of angel hair pasta ( I break the package in half to make the pieces manageable)
1 lime. Use half for sauce and cut other half into thin wedges for squeezing.
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1/3 cup peanuts, crushed in your mortar and pestle
3 scallions, white parts sliced fine, green parts 1" long.
One carrot,  grated
2 Cups or more of Mung Bean sprouts. If they are packaged, make sure they should be white and crisp. (We just started sprouting our own from seed so we could be sure of freshness.)

Sauce: Mix together the juice of half the lime, one tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 3 tablespoons good soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or a squirt of Sriracha sauce.

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in your wok or deep saucepan, crack the eggs on the oil, turn off the heat, and just let them sit there. They should partially cook with nice white edges. Relax.
When you are ready, cook the pasta. Drain and put directly on the eggs. Then turn on the heat,  medium high, and stir and cook just a minute or two until the eggs are done. Then turn off the heat, add the vegetables and the sauce, combine everything well, and serve with the crushed peanuts and lime wedges, which are important.

Mac&Cheese for Italian Nobility. This is what it looks like before firing up this really easy Sunday night treat. Butter, whole milk, Parmesan: What's a matta? You scared? Mmmmm.

Ingredients:  (Pay attention to pasta and liquid measurements.)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces Linguini pasta
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper is a nice optional addition)
3 cups water
On cup grated Parmesan. Use the 1/4" holes on your box grater.

Directions:
Use your deep skillet to saute the garlic in the olive oil a minute or two.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the grated Parmesan. Heat to boiling, then turn heat down to a strong simmer. Poke, prod and mix (to keep the pasta from sticking together) until the pasta absorbs the liquid and is creamy, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Turn off heat, add the grated cheese while stirring so the cheese coats the pasta.
Serve hot with a garnish of cilantro or parsley. Add plenty of fresh ground pepper at the table.

Cold pasta for hot days. You can use most any vegetable you like. If you have a dinner party, serve the vegetables and sauce on the side in separate bowls so your guests can build their own meals. The recipe is easy to scale up.

Ingredients:
12 oz. pasta. I like Linguini or Fettuccine. (To make the pasta easier to cook and eat, you can break the pieces in half by bending the box over the counter. Be sure to stir the pasta when you first put it in the boiling water to stop the pieces from sticking together).
5 or 6 leaves or small heart of Romaine lettuce, cut into bite size pieces
4 stalks of celery, sliced
Handful of pea pods, bite size
Half a small red onion, sliced thin.
Cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, de-seeded and sliced 1/4 inch
One tablespoon toasted sesame oil to mix with cold cooked pasta

Directions:
Cook the pasta in salted water. While the water is heating, make the sauce: Mix together 4 tablespoons
good soy sauce, 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, 3 teaspoons sugar, and 2 cloves finely minced garlic.
When the pasta is done, drain and rinse in cold water, put in your serving bowl and mix with the tablespoon of sesame oil. Refrigerate until well chilled.
When ready, mix the vegetables with the pasta and serve with the sauce on the side.

Psst. Looking for a good time, sailor? White chocolate company on the road to diet ruin.
(Like 666ers but without the consolation that they might be good for you.)

Ingredients:
Ghiradelli White Chocolate Chips
Ground Cinnamon

Directions:
Put around 3/4 oz. of chips in a paper baking cup, put on a plate, put in microwave. White chocolate melts at a lower temperature, so set your microwave to 'Soften/Melt" select "Chocolate" select "08 oz." and press enter. It should display 3 minutes.
Take out, sprinkle a little ground cinnamon on top, swirl with a toothpick if you want, cool, freeze. Abandon hope.

   This slightly modified David Tanis recipe is a  fun, fast summery meal. with a similar easy preparation to the the Arugula/Pasta recipe. The only cooking is the quickly boiled pasta. The angel hair pasta is thin enough to soak up the tomato, garlic, pepper marinade. A great recipe for ripe cherry tomatoes.
You can serve it hot, but it is just as good at room temperature. "Pasta Fredda"

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. Angel Hair or thin spaghetti pasta
3/4 lb. of your best cherry tomatoes  (you can use any ripe tomato)  cut it into small pieces.
One red or yellow bell pepper, or half of each, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes or sprinkle of cayenne
2 oz. feta cheese


Directions:
In a large pasta bowl put two tablespoons red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper, the minced garlic, the pepper flakes or cayenne, the diced bell pepper and the cherry tomatoes.  Stir several times while marinating for at least a half hour.
When ready, cook and drain the pasta, add it to the bowl, and do your best to mix the pasta and tomatoes. You can let it sit the sauce to soak up the liquid. Serve with crumbled feta, and decorate with some basil leaves or whatever you have on hand.

A messy delight. If you've never tried Banh Mi, you are in for a treat. This is an easy version made with eggs or hummus. Make sure you have a really fresh bread. (Updated July 2019)

Ingredients:
1 sourdough baguette, cut in half, and slit sideways to open like a book. Pull some of the bread out to make room for the ingredients. (Update: We have had better luck recently with a loaf shape sourdough. Cut it in half lengthwise, slit the halves, open like a book, and pull out most of the dough.)
4 eggs or plain hummus about 6 oz.
2 medium jalapeno peppers, de-seeded and cut into matchstick strips
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, de-seeded, and cut into @ half inch strips
1 cup or more cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, grated into a small bowl, and mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoons cider vinegar. (If you get rabid about Banh Mi, you can make the slaw with half carrot and half Daikon radish)
Hellman's real mayonnaise
Sriracha hot sauce

Directions:
Start by making the carrot mixture. Stir well, cover with with a dish, and marinate for at least 15 minutes while you make the sandwiches. Stir a few times while you are underway.
If using eggs, crack the eggs into a bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and fresh pepper and beat lightly
Get the peppers, cucumber and cilantro ready,  Relax, maybe have a drink.
When you are ready to go, prepare the bread, and put a good schmear of mayo and a line of hot sauce on one or both sides.
Drain the liquid from the carrot mixture.
If using eggs, cook the eggs lightly scrambled. When the eggs are done, ladle the eggs into the bottom half of each sandwich.
If using hummus, spread on bottom halves of sandwiches.
Add the jalapeno, cucumber, the marinated carrots and cilantro.
Close the sandwich, and cut each sandwich in half.

This is a once a week favorite. Try it with different beans and pastas. Always satisfying.

Ingredients:
One can (drained and rinsed) of cannelloni, red or black beans
One pint container of cherry tomatoes, halved. (Or, use an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce. Just simmer the beans and tomato sauce with the sauteed onions about ten minutes. I always keep a supply of those small cans on hand.)
One half large onion
Three cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dried pasta, medium shells, penne, cellentani or similar,
One half teaspoon salt, more to taste
Ground pepper
Optional ground hot pepper flakes or cayenne
Chunk of Parmesan for grating
One cup chopped cilantro.

Directions:
Saute the onions and garlic, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper (and pepper flakes) and cook covered about 10 minutes on low until the tomatoes dissolve, add the beans, and cook another ten minutes. Check and stir every 5 minutes or so to be sure the tomato mixture does not stick to the pan. Turn off the heat, and when you  are ready, start the pasta.
Cook the pasta al dente, add to the tomato and beans. cook, stir, turn off the heat and mix in most of the cilantro.
Serve with cilantro garnish and grated Parmesan. We like Parmigiano Reggiano

 This simple and satisfying pasta can be made with or without eggs. You probably would want one of the long, thin pastas for the no egg version.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound dry pasta, Rotini is good. Linguine is too. So is Angel Hair.
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 cloves minced garlic
4 large eggs
Crushed red pepper flakes optional, about a quarter teaspoon
Parmesan cheese for serving

Directions:
Heat 3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic (and the pepper flakes) in 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and set aside. Cook pasta al dente in salted water.
About 2 minutes before the pasta is done, reheat the pan and slide in four large eggs. Let the eggs cook until the edges just turn white. Turn off the heat, drain the pasta and add to the eggs and oil. Turn the heat back on and mix the pasta with the eggs a few moments until the eggs finish cooking.
Serve with fresh grated Parmesan and plenty of ground pepper.

If you like mushrooms*, this is a easy, pleasing meal with just a few ingredients. (* This may make you decide you like mushrooms after all.) This recipe is similar to Noodles in Hot and Sour Mushroom Broth, which I like a little better.

Ingredients:
One pound package of "Baby Bella" sliced mushrooms. You can use any mushrooms you like, slice them about a quarter inch thick
12 ounces thin pasta, linguini works well
3 bunches of scallions (about 8-10 ounces), white parts sliced thin, green parts 1" long. Reserve some for garnish
4 quarter sized pieces of fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce: Mix together 3 tablespoons good soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, and one tablespoon toasted sesame oil.

Directions:
Saute the garlic and ginger in the oil over medium high heat for a minute, add the scallions, saute another minute, add the mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes. The mushrooms will try to stick to the pan at first, then will release some water, then most of the liquid will boil off.
Add the sauce, turn off the heat.  When you are ready, cook the pasta and add it to the mushroom mixture, heat and serve. Garnish with reserved scallions.