Shrimp scampi is delicious—but shrimp is expensive, and so is wine. So when I want to channel those buttery, garlicky flavors on a budget, I turn to big beans, which, once cooked, are almost the size of a shrimp. Not to mention they make their own super savory broth as they simmer (so then I can drink my wine instead). The name of the game here isn't to feel like we're missing out and "can't" buy seafood, but instead to get confident making vegetarian swaps, because they're almost always cheaper and, yeah, just as delicious. Still, to achieve that, for lack of a better word, scampiness, I do add a bit of briny-sweet fish sauce to the pasta—you can skip it if you’re vegetarian, but otherwise do try it, even if you think you don’t like fish sauce.
You’ll start with 8 ounces of big dried beans—corona, gigante, or large lima all work. They’ll run you about $2, depending on the bean and brand. If you’re pressed for time, use 2 cans of butter beans (or smaller cannellini if that’s all you can find) and 1 cup of vegetable broth; this costs more and the broth is slightly less rich, but the meal total will still be under $10. Boil the beans with olive oil, a bit of garlic (you’ll use 8 cloves total—$0.30) and lemon zest (the whole lemon, $0.50, gets used), and just enough water to make a concentrated, deeply flavorful broth. To channel the tanginess of wine, stir in a bit of white wine vinegar. Next up: pan-toasted, lemon-zesty panko ($0.40), for some much-needed crunch. Make the sauce with bean broth, more garlic, onion, and butter ($0.50), plus red pepper flakes and fish sauce to wake it up. And don’t forget the pasta (1 pound of your favorite long noodles, $1.30), cooked until just shy of al dente. Finish cooking the pasta directly in the sauce, along with the beans and a mountain of chopped parsley (leaves and all the stems, $1.20). Grand total: under $7, for a truly Strega Nona–sized pot of pasta.
This recipe was featured on our new cook-along podcast Play Me a Recipe. Listen as Rebecca Firkser cooks her way through this recipe, offering insider tips and backstory along the way. —Rebecca Firkser
Nickel & Dine is a budget column by Rebecca Firkser, assigning editor at Food52 and big bean stan. Each month, Rebecca will share an easy, flavor-packed recipe that feeds four (or just you, four times)—all for $10 or less. —The Editors
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