Southwestern black beans with wagon wheels

7
Points®
Total Time
32 min
Prep
12 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
Wagon-wheel pasta, also known as route, is great for capturing heavy sauces with chunky vegetables or meat. Its whimsical look is fun for kids and makes this dish super fun. Ready in just over 30 minutes, these six generous servings feature a sauce made of hearty black beans simmered with onions, peppers, corn and tomatoes with green chiles. Oregano and ground cumin layer in the Tex-Mex flavor that brings the dish together. Make a double batch of the bean and tomato mixture and freeze it for another meal. It can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to six months.

Ingredients

Uncooked pasta

½ pound(s), wagon-wheel variety

Olive oil

1 Tbsp

Onion

1 medium, chopped

Bell pepper

2 item(s), medium, assorted-colors, seeded and chopped

Dried oregano

1 tsp

Ground cumin

1 tsp

Canned diced tomatoes

14½ oz, with green chilies

Canned black beans

15½ oz, rinsed and drained

Canned yellow corn

7 oz, drained

Shredded reduced fat Mexican-style cheese

1 cup(s)

Instructions

  1. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions; drain.
  2. Heat the oil in the same pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell peppers. Cook until the vegetables just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the oregano and cumin. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  3. Add the tomatoes, beans, and corn to the pot; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the flavors are blended, about 5 minutes. Return the pasta to the pot and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve the pasta in bowls, sprinkled with the cheese. Yields 1 1⁄3 cups pasta and scant 3 tablespoons cheese per serving.

Notes

For a non-vegetarian version, add 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken breast chunks to the sauce and heat through with the cooked pasta. You’ll be adding a POINT per serving, as well as an extra dose of lean protein.