The past few weeks I’m addicted to the following, adapted from Beatrice Ojakangas’ “Pinto beans and pasta” in The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever:

1 can (15 oz) tomoatoes (I like the fire roasted kind.)

1 can pinto beans, drained & rinsed (I cook my own in the Crock Pot, soaked overnight, drained, and cooked all day on low, possibly with a bay leaf. 1 lb. usually yields about 3 cans’ worth, and I freeze them in Ziplocs in 2-cup portions.)

1 C small whole wheat pasta, like macaroni or shells

1.5 cups corn (canned or frozen. I always have a big bag in the freezer, as corn is right up there with jam sandwiches in Nathaniel’s book.)

1 medium onion, chopped (though the past couple batches I’ve used a bell pepper and onion blend from Kroger’s freezer section, as we ran out of onions, which blew my mind. Doesn’t that drawer at the bottom of the fridge just continually refresh itself with onions? Anyway, I like the addition of the peppers.)

1 T chili powder

1 t each oregano and cumin

garlic

Sautee onions (or onions & peppers) and garlic in a little oil until soft, in a wide pan. Add chili pwd, oregano, & cumin, cook a minute or so. Stir in tomatoes, pasta, and corn, and simmer until the pasta is done, then stir in beans.

At this point, the original is turned into a casserole dish, topped with cheese and crunched up tortilla chips, and baked until cheese is bubbly & browned. We did this the first time, and it’s really good (because, really, what isn’t better topped with cheese?) But it travels better sans topping, and is, of course, rather healthier. So the past couple weeks, I’ve tossed this together on Sunday evening (Seriously, about 20 mins start to finish, mostly just simmering away unattended, what with the pre-chopped vegetables), and voila!  Portioned out, + fruit, lunch for the week!