Asparagus Tetrazzini in a White Bean Sauce

Asparagus Tetrazzini in a White Bean Sauce

1 cup dry white beans (I used white kidney beans) soaked over night
5 cups water
1tsp herbamare
Fresh ground black pepper
½- ¾ cup dairy free milk (I used rice)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ small white onion finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic passed through a press
1 bunch asparagus chopped (compost tough bottom)
1 cup sliced brown mushrooms
½ cup red bell pepper or cherry tomatoes
½ tsp sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1.5tsp dry basil (if I had fresh, it would have been even better! Add for garnish also)
1 cup veggie broth or more
½ cup dairy free milk or more
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 whole package of rice fettuccini noodles cooked

Bring soaked beans and water to a boil and simmer for about an hour until soft (this can be done ahead of time.) Rinse beans in cold water and place in food processor. Add herbamare, pepper and blend. Slowly add milk until it becomes nice and creamy. You may need more or less of the milk, so add slowly and use your judgement to your taste. I used about 1 cup and the beans were the consistency of a bean dip.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a deep pan, add onion, and lower the heat and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add garlic, sauté another few minutes on low to bring out a nice flavour. Add the asparagus and peppers, sauté 5 minutes until tender. You may need to add a bit of broth here to keep things from sticking to the pan. Lastly add the mushrooms and basil, salt and pepper and sauté until mushroom are tender.

Scoop the bean mixture from the processor into the pan, and stir. Slowly add the 1 cup of broth, stirring constantly. Finally add the milk slowly, again stirring constantly. Add nutritional yeast.

In the recipe I suggest *or more* to these last ingredients… I ended up adding a few splashes more of each to get the sauce to my desired thickness…it is something you can easily play with, no right or wrong.

Toss the sauce with noodles and serve hot. This was a HUGE hit with my kids…a meal everyone ate; the table was silent! Ha-ha. Even if you are not vegan or Dairy Free, can you imagine the fat and calorie difference in a white bean sauce compared to a cream/butter sauce! The nutritional difference also. Beans are so good for you! You have nothing to lose trying this recipe

Made 8 servings or so, (enough for lunch the next day!)