No Trader Joe’s around here…. so no experience with their marinara sauce – but give it a shot!

This is healthy, despite the fact that it doesn’t have a cup of olive oil in the recipe :-)

As for cheese, I am a huge fan of quality parmigiano-reggiano: not the junk they sell in most supermarkets, but the good stuff ($12+ per pound) sold in Italian markets or from iGourmet.com (Having said that, iGourmet’s shipping charges are criminal; see if a friend wants to go in on a larger order. For small $$ amount orders, it’s prohibitive.) If you can find some, it’s absolutely extraordinary.

Thanks for the comment!

K

If you are cooking the rice separately (so you don’t have to “match” cooking times between beans and rice), you can experiment with many other kinds of rice, particularly if you have a rice cooker like we do?

This recipe sounds good. I’m going to try it.

Do you live near a Trader Joes – have you tried their “Marinara Sauce” in the green can, it’s like tomato sauce but a little different – how do you think that would work here?

BTW, I remember from my old college vegetarian days, that beans and rice, together, make a complete protein. Not a LOT of protein, but usually enough. From modern dietary reports, we now know that the fiber in beans is super for us, and that tomato sauce contains lupene (?) another fantastic micro-nutrient.

Are there any cheeses you recommend to eat on the side with this?