Thanks for the recipe!

I just made the most delicious dinner, inspired by my blogging friend Beth at Rhubarb and Venison. I've been following her blog for months. I don't remember how I originally found her; I just know I'm glad I did! Beth is a working mom and a new mom and in that regard she reminds me of my daughter. I enjoy reading her blog. Her style is fresh and friendly and natural. When you read it, you'd swear you were in her kitchen visiting over a cup of tea. We're also neighbors, kinda sorta. She lives in North Dakota and I live in Minnesota. Anyway, Beth posted a yummy recipe a few days ago and I knew right away I was going to make it. I love pasta and I'm always looking for new ways to serve it. I used to make a similar recipe, back in the day, but Beth's is MUCH better. I changed it just a bit, since I had Ziti in my pantry. And I added 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. oregano and a can of salt-free sliced mushrooms, drained. I tossed some Parm on top and Voila! A tasty dinner ready in a jiffy.

Beth's Rotini with Broccoli and Navy Beans
Adapted from The Vegetarian Times Cookbook.
1 lb. rotini (I used 16 oz. Ziti)
1 jar marinara sauce (we both used the Target brand)
1 15 oz can Italian diced tomatoes (Beth used Italian seasoned Muir Glen)
1 15 oz can navy or cannellini beans
1 large bunch broccoli, cut into florets
Handful of olives, pitted and chopped
Bring pot of water to a boil. Add large pinch of salt to water, then add rotini (Ziti). When rotini is almost done with about 1-2 minutes left to cook, add broccoli. While the pasta finishes cooking, drain beans in strainer, rinse and leave beans in strainer. When pasta is al dente and broccoli is tender but still a little crunchy, turn off the stove and pour pasta and broccoli over beans in the strainer to both drain the pasta and warm the beans. Transfer all back into pot and place pot on warm burner. Pour tomatoes and marinara sauce over pasta mixture; stir well. Add olives, toss and serve. I added the red pepper flakes, black pepper, oregano and sliced mushrooms to the pasta sauce before I added it to the pasta. Mmmmm!