Now I wish I had bought that penne pasta when I was at Trader Joe's the other day. I was thinking about it, but then decided the fewer pantry items I bought, the better. Otherwise I would just have to pack it all up when I move. If I wanted pasta I'd just have to settle for the box of spaghetti that I already had.

Of course, then I had an idea for a sauce that would be fantastic with penne - chunks of tomatoes and big white beans simmered with onions, garlic, basil, oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. A sauce like that just wouldn't play well with spaghetti. It wouldn't have anything to hold on to. Unless... it was puréed. Now there's an idea. A fiber-packed pasta sauce that isn't easily recognizable as such. Served with whole wheat pasta and a nice sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, you could have yourself a tasty and healthy meal.

In theory.

I mean, it's ok. A bit starchy. I think it would have been much better not puréed. Or perhaps with another can of tomatoes added to combat the starchiness.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp dry vermouth or white wine
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
few grinds of black pepper
1/2 cup water

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, for about 50 minutes.

When the sauce is cooked you can either serve it as-is over a tubular or shaped pasta like penne, or you can purée it in a blender or food processor and serve over spaghetti.

Makes about 3 cups - about 6 servings.

Other ideas: If I had some red wine I would have definitely used that instead of the vermouth and water. This would be fantastic with some sweet Italian sausage thrown in. I would brown it with the onion and garlic. In that case I wouldn't even think about puréeing it. I would toss it in a baking dish with some cooked penne, sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top and bake until the cheese melts. Mmmm.