Preparation

This is what Italian grandmothers make when they're tired but still want to feel fancy. Now it's what you make when you're tired, broke, and have a 9 AM class.

The Peasant Food Protocol

1. Add olive oil to your mug and microwave for 20 seconds until fragrant. If using fresh sage, add it now and microwave another 10 seconds until crispy. Remove sage and set aside (it's your garnish and you earned it).
2. Add minced garlic to the oil and microwave 15 seconds. Your dorm room now smells like an Italian restaurant. Your roommate will investigate.
3. Add white beans, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine everything.
4. Microwave for 90 seconds, stirring halfway through. The beans should be hot and the tomatoes should break down into a sauce.
5. Let it rest for 1 minute. The beans will absorb the tomato juice and become creamy.
6. Top with crispy sage, grated Parmesan if you have it, and a drizzle of olive oil.

The Bread Law: This REQUIRES bread for scooping. Use whatever you have—toast, naan, a tortilla. This is a no-judgment zone.

What you've created is creamy beans in a garlicky, tomatoey sauce with an herbal top note. It's the kind of simple food that makes you understand why Italian grandmothers live to 100. They probably didn't use microwaves, but they also didn't have organic chemistry homework.