Chef Jamie Oliver shares meat-free fiery pasta fagioli recipe

Celebrity chef and cookbook author Jamie Oliver is full of hearty recipe ideas and this cozy traditional Italian dish is a perfect weeknight meal for fall and winter.

Oliver joined "Good Morning America" with Diego and Saskia Castelomendes and their kids Niko, Kai and Luna, at their New Jersey home to show some meat-free friendly swaps that can help them go green in the kitchen.

"One of the things we've seen in the last year is the price of meat has gone up 10%," Oliver said. "The whole conversation about the environment and all the emissions that come from the meat, it's in all of our interest to try to reduce the amount of meat we have, but still celebrate the dishes we love. One thing I love to do is the 50/50 rule. That's embracing other forms of protein so these beans, lentils, we can use things like mushroom for other flavor -- it really works."

Check out his recipe below that builds a depth of flavor with plant-based protein below.

Angry Pasta Fagioli, with squash, beans, chili and rosemary oil

Serves 4Total time: 50 min

Ingredients
10 ounces butternut squash
1 carrot
Olive oil
4 fresh red chilies
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
10 ounces dried whole-wheat penne
1 x 15-oz can of borlotti beans
1 x 14-oz can of quality plum tomatoes
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Directions

Peel the squash (seed, if needed) and scrub the carrot, then chop into ½-inch chunks and place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Prick and throw in the whole chilies (this will give you a warming, gentle heat), then cook for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden, stirring regularly. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, then add to the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until softened and caramelized.

Wrap the pasta in a clean kitchen towel and give it a good bash with a rolling pin to crack and break it up, then stir into the pan with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Tip in the beans (juices and all) and scrunch in the tomatoes, along with 3 cans’ worth of water. Pop the lid on and simmer for 20 minutes, or until thickened and the pasta is cooked, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, strip the rosemary leaves into a pestle and mortar, add a pinch of salt and bash to a paste, then muddle in 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the vinegar. Swirl into the pan and serve up.

I like to pull out the chilies, chop them into a paste and serve them as an angry (fiery) condiment for stirring back through the soup, to taste.

Excerpted ULTIMATE VEG: Easy & Delicious Meals for Everyone by Jamie Oliver. Copyright © 2019 by Jamie Oliver. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by David Loftus.