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Favourite Pasta E Fagioli

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Submitted by Willaim

Italian pasta e fagioli with navy beans, ditalini, and a tomato-rosemary broth. The classic peasant soup made one-pot, thick, hearty, and ready for grated cheese on top.

YIELD

4 servings

PREP

10 min

COOK

25 min

READY

35 min

Pasta e fagioli is Italian cucina povera at its finest, a soup-stew hybrid born from leftovers and pantry staples. This version leans on creamy navy beans simmered with onion, celery, carrot, and garlic until the broth turns silky from the released bean starch.

The rosemary in a little sack is the chef’s-grandma move. Tying or bagging the rosemary lets it perfume the pot without leaving needles in every spoonful. Pull it out before serving and you get all the piney aroma with none of the splinters.

Ditalini, the small tube pasta, is the right shape because it cooks fast and slips into a spoon alongside a bean. Cooking the pasta in the soup rather than separately is what makes it pasta e fagioli rather than soup with pasta on the side. The starch from the pasta thickens the broth.

A splash of olive oil drizzled on top at serving, plus a heavy hand with grated parmesan or pecorino, is what finishes the bowl in true Italian style.

Chef Tips

  • Soak the dried navy beans overnight. They cook in half the time and break down more evenly into the broth.
  • Cook the ditalini just to al dente. The pasta keeps absorbing liquid as the soup sits and turns mushy if pushed past tender.
  • Save a cup of pasta cooking water before draining to thin reheated leftovers. The soup thickens dramatically in the fridge.
  • Crush a small handful of beans against the side of the pot before adding pasta. The mashed beans melt into the broth for body.

Variations

  • Stir in a Parmesan rind during simmering for deeper umami.
  • Add diced pancetta at the start for a meatier version.
  • Substitute cannellini or borlotti beans for a more traditional Northern Italian style.

Ingredients

1 1
LARGE LARGE ONION
chopped
1 1
LARGE LARGE BOUILLION CUBE *
1 1
STALK STALK CELERY
chopped *
1 ½ 1.4
QUART L WATER *
1 1
EACH CARROT
chopped
1 453.6
POUND G NAVY BEANS
2 30
TABLESPOON ML BUTTER
6 173.4
OUNCE ML/G TOMATO SAUCE
2 30
TABLESPOON ML OLIVE OIL
1
X SALT AND BLACK PEPPER
to taste *
2 2
CLOVES CLOVES GARLIC
chopped *
6 173.4
OUNCES ML/G PASTA, DITALINI *
1 5
TEASPOON ML ROSEMARY LEAVES
in a sack

Directions

Melt butter in olive oil. Sauté vegetables until golden. Add rest of ingredients and bring to boil. Lower to simmer and cook until beans are tender.

When the beans are just soft, add 6 to 8 oz of ditalini according to how thick you want it and cook til tender. Serve hot with grated cheese on the side.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 225g (7.9 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 269 41% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 12g 19%
Saturated Fat 5g 23%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 566mg 24%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 11%
Dietary Fiber 8g 31%
Sugars g
Protein 20g
Vitamin A 58% Vitamin C 18%
Calcium 8% Iron 15%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Low Cholesterol, Trans-fat Free, High Fiber
 

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