This late summer dinner of San Marzanos and White Beans celebrates the beautiful tangy sweetness of the fresh San Marzano tomato!
While official San Marzanos are a D.O.P. varietal grown only in a specific region of Italy, the famous tomato variety is grown in gardens around the world. I’m lucky enough to have a friend who loves to share her harvest!
These flavorful tomatoes have become the quintessential Italian canned tomato because they don’t need much fuss to make an incredible sauce. A carrot, an onion, and twenty-five minutes on the stove makes the magic happen.
The San Marzano variety is meatier and less watery than a slicing tomato and makes the kind of sauce that sticks to the pasta. The skins curl away from the flesh as they cook, and you can either fish them out with tongs or leave them in.
When making a quick sauce like this, please don’t skip the carrot! It’s an under-sung hero in classic tomato sauce (and a secret, unexpected ingredient in my best chili recipe!). It doesn’t compete with the tomato flavor, but rounds off the acidic edge the way a pinch of sugar would.
Mild mannered Great Northern Beans beans can be used instead of Cannellini beans if you don’t have them on hand. They both a have mild, nutty flavor.
A Bit About Beans
The addition of Cannellini beans turn this from a delicious sauce into a filling supper. Beans add substance and fiber and play really well with the tomatoes. Add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking time for the best texture.
Substitutions
If you don’t have Cannellini beans on hand, you can substitute Great Northern Beans, or even Navy Beans. Both varieties have a mild, nutty flavor that enhances but doesn’t detract from the star of the show- the tomatoes!
Serving Suggestions
Toss the sauce with basil and your favorite Gluten Free Pasta for a delicious and nutritious dinner. A drizzle of olive oil, a grate of parmesan or pecorino, and some extra basil leaves are all welcome finishers.
If you’re looking for a delicious salad to serve alongside this lovely late summer pasta, I have lots of ideas in this post: Fast, Fresh Salads.
Sweet and tangy San Marzanos and White Beans make a beautiful, filling, late summer dinner.
Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot with a pinch of salt and cook until the onion is soft and translucent and the carrot has lost its crunch, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the tomatoes cut side down along with the salt. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes, then stir and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally and pressing the tomatoes against the side of the pot, until they collapse into a loose sauce, about 20 minutes. The skins will curl away from the meat of the tomato and you can remove them with tongs if you prefer.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water before draining.
Stir the oregano and beans into the tomatoes. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, just until the beans are heated through. Season with pepper and more salt to taste.
Add the drained pasta directly to the pot along with a splash of the reserved cooking water. Toss over low heat for a minute, adding more water as needed, until the sauce coats the noodles.
Off the heat, toss in most of the basil. Serve with the remaining basil scattered over the top and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
Dress the pasta: Don’t drain your gluten-free pasta and let it sit — it firms up fast. Get it into the sauce right away.
Add Pasta Water: Gluten-free pasta doesn’t hold onto sauce the way wheat pasta does, so I always reserve a cup of the cooking water and finish the pasta in the pot with the sauce. That starchy water helps the sauce cling to the noodles.
Fresh basil/ Dried oregano: Dried herbs go into the sauce during cooking. Fresh basil goes in off the heat, right before serving. Cooked basil turns dark and loses its aromatic flavor.
