PASTA FAGIOLI WITH ZUCCHINI

This feel-good comfort food is powered by plant protein, chockfull of vegetables, and incorporates whole-grain pasta. Make a pot of it on a weekend to have at your fingertips in the refrigerator for busy weeknights.

The dish can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 small onion, coarsely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large or 2 medium zucchini (about 12 ounces total), quartered lengthwise and then cut into ½inch chunks

15 ounces canned, low-sodium

cannellini beans

14 ½ ounces canned, no-salt-added

diced tomatoes and their juices 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth ½ teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper ½ cup dried whole-wheat elbow macaroni or other similarly shaped pasta

⅓ cup freshly grated ParmigianoReggiano cheese

Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, stir in the onion and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, just until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Meanwhile, coarsely chop the zucchini.

Drain and rinse the beans, then add to the pot along with the tomatoes and their juices, the broth, salt and pepper. Once the mixture begins to bubble at the edges, stir in the zucchini and pasta. Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender (if the pasta is thicker than elbow macaroni, it may need a few more minutes).

Serve hot, topped with the cheese. Adapted from “Weeknight Wonders: Delicious, Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less,” by Ellie Krieger (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013).

Per serving: 280 calories, 14 g protein, 35 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 490 mg sodium, 8 g dietary fiber, 7 g sugar

PHOTO FOR THE WASHINGTON BY STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING FOR THE WASHINGTON POST BY LISA CHERKASKY