Pasta e Fagioli
Description
This is a tasty soup inspired by my friend Rossana, and there are hundreds of variations on the internet if you’re interested. (I don’t think she needs to use a recipe but after the first couple of times that I made it, I wrote down exactly what I did so that I didn’t have to think about it – the latest update uses Once Upon a Chef). The key is to cook the pasta separately, adding it right before you eat it, and to serve it it with freshly grated Parmesan. This freezes beautifully, just cook some pasta and add it after it’s re-warmed.
Also, as a side note – if you want a pretty soup, take the time to chop the vegetables into evenly sized cubes, and use some fun pasta!
Ingredients
~1 c. diced pancetta, bacon or ham – sautéed and removed to use as garnish
6 cloves of garlic, minced AND 1 large onion, finely chopped
4 good-sized carrots AND 3 pieces of celery, all diced
2 or 3, 32 oz/946 mL boxes of organic chicken broth – more broth is need if using dry beans, but I regularly use canned beans for a quick weeknight meal – using bone broth also adds a lot to this soup
salt to taste
1 t. EACH fresh ground pepper, dried parsley AND dried basil
3 bay leaves (remove them before you eat)
1, 28 oz/ 796 mL can of diced tomatoes
1 or 2 c. dry beans (kidney, navy, Romano, lentils) – OR 2 or 3 540 mL cans of mixed beans or lentils
as much small sized pasta such as Ditali, shells, macaroni as you would like
crispy bacon, ham or sausage and freshly grated Parmesan to garnish
Instructions
Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot and saute the garlic, onion, carrot and celery until softened, 5-10 minutes. Add 2 boxes of broth, the tomatoes, the beans and the spices and simmer, stirring regularly for 2 hours. At the 2-hour point, it’s usually reduced enough to need the third box of broth.
Simmer at least another hour until the beans are tender. At this point you can remove the bay leaves and places whatever amounts you’d like (or all of it) into containers to freeze. I usually package some up, then cook enough pasta for the ‘dinner soup’. More water may need to be added if the soup is too thick.
Serve with freshly grated Parmesan, fresh bread and a salad. Yum.
- Category: Beans, Pasta, Soup
