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The weather is getting cooler and it has slowly but surely become #SoupSeason! So what better time is there to share my favorite recipe for the quintessential Italian soup, pasta and beans. I call this dish Pasta e Fagioli (pronounced:PAH-stah eh fah-DJOH-lee ) but many Italian Americans refer to this dish as “Pasta Fa-zool” which is similar to the Neapolitan pronunciation of Pasta e Fasule. In all honesty though, no matter what Italian dialect you choose to use – this hearty soup is Italian Comfort food at it’s finest. A bowl of this soup is definitely going to warm you from the inside out…
Like most Italian recipes, pasta and beans can be made in as many different ways as it can be said. Some Italians believe that pasta and beans should be more like a stew where your spoon should stand straight up. Some make it with pancetta or other lard, while others use different types of beans. The variations differ from family to family, generation to generation and of course from region to region.
Personally, I prefer this dish to be somewhere between a stew and a soup with white beans, a hint of tomatoes, carrots, onions and celery. Sometimes I add bacon/prosciutto and other times I keep it meat free. The best part of this soup is serving it with a little piece of crusty bread. I like to take slices of Italian bread and toast them in the oven with a slathering of Parmesan-butter and thyme. I love to serve the bread alongside this hearty bowl of soup and dunk away.
I hope you like my version of Pasta e Fagioli and enjoy!
Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
- 19 oz can of Cannellini Beans rinsed and drained
- 2 Tbslp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup Sauce or crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1-2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1/2 cup carrot diced
- 1 Beef Bouillon Cube
- Salt & Pepper to Taste easy on the salt
- 1 Bay leaf
- 3-4 cups water
- 1 1/4 cup of Ditalini Pasta or other small pasta
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a stock pot saute garlic, onions, celery, and carrot on medium heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and then add the beans.
- Stir to combine and then add the tomatoes, water, bouillon, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat and then add pasta.
- Continue to cook soup on low heat and simmer for an additional 15 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Serve warm with crusty bread.