Pasta e Fagioli
This classic dish of pasta and beans is rib-sticking comfort food at it’s finest.
Pasta e Fagioli, or “pasta and beans”, is a classic Italian dish from Campania. As with most regional dishes, the recipe and ingredients can vary from place to place, while still being delicious and filling. This is a perfect representation of Italy’s Cucina Povera or “poor cooking”, where most of Italy’s most revered dishes have their roots.
My Nonna made pasta e fagioli for us often. This recipe makes me think of her warmth and smile. While it is not her exact recipe, this is what I could remember it tasting like. This dish relies on its simplicity and use of good-quality ingredients, treated with respect.
Step 1
Prep your ingredients.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 celery stalks, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (796 ml) San Marzano tomatoes, whole peeled
1 liter chicken stock, homemade or store-bought
2 cups (500 ml) Ditalini pasta
1 can (540 ml) navy beans, drained and rinsed
large handful fresh basil, chopped
sea salt, to taste
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
sugar, to taste (optional)
parmesan cheese, to taste
Step 2
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. The oil should be just shimmering but not smoking hot.
Step 3
Dump in the onions and celery. Sweat until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. This will develop the natural sugars in the vegetables and create a wonderful base of flavours.
Step 4
Add the garlic to the onions and celery. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. We add the garlic last because it can burn very easily.
Step 5
Pour in the can of tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes by “chopping” them up in the pan. The tomatoes will disintegrate while cooking, but this just helps them melt faster.
Step 6
Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes over medium heat until the tomatoes have reduced and thickened. This is a crucial step in the cooking process. Cooking the tomatoes down will add richness and sweetness to the pasta and will help to cook out the acidity of the tomatoes.
Step 7
Pour in the chicken broth. I use homemade chicken broth but you can use a good quality store-bought broth instead. Try to find a low-sodium broth or buy from your local butcher.
Bring the broth to a simmer.
Step 8
Pour in the pasta and basil. Stir well and cover the pan.
Simmer the pasta, stirring occasionally, for 15 - 20 minutes until pasta is tender and al-dente.
Step 9
Rinse the beans really well and drain them
Step 10
Dump in the beans into the broth, stir well and cover the pan.
Cook for 2-3 minutes until everything is hot and bubbly.
Step 11
Season the pasta e fagiole with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and lots of parmesan cheese. You can also use a little bit of sugar, if the tomatoes are too acidic for your tastes.
Serve!
Serve hot with more fresh basil and parmesan cheese shaved over each portion.
Dive in to this bowl of utter perfection and relax into the food come that ensues.
Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Dump in onions and celery. Sweat for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add in chopped garlic, cook 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in the can of tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes in the pan. Bring to a simmer.
- Cook the tomatoes for 10 minutes over medium heat until reduced and slightly thick.
- Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.
- Pour in the pasta, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover pot and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until pasta is al-dente.
- Pour in the navy beans. Simmer until just heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in half of the basil.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar (if needed).
- Serve with more basil and lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
371.07Fat (grams)
11.32Sat. Fat (grams)
2.14Carbs (grams)
50.85Fiber (grams)
10.08Net carbs
40.77Sugar (grams)
8.00Protein (grams)
17.04Sodium (milligrams)
771.66Cholesterol (grams)
8.68Nutrition info is only an estimate, provided by a third-party service.
