Pasta e Fagioli
The name of this dish is quite literal, as it translates from Italian to “pasta and beans”. It originated as a peasant dish, since it uses just a few humble ingredients relying on beans and pasta as the filler for a hearty meal.
Servings 8
Calories 382kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cranberry beans (or cannellini or great northern beans)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 ounces diced pancetta
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 small bunch Tuscan kale, roughly chopped
- ½ pound small pasta, like ditalini shell or elbow
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Soak the beans in a medium bowl covered with water overnight.
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown all over but not hard, about 6 minutes.
- Then add the carrot, celery and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender about an additional 6 minutes. Add the garlic continuing to sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, 4 cups of water and bay leaves.
- Drain the beans then add to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil then lower heat to medium-low and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour (longer if you didn't soak the beans). Add additional water as needed if the broth evaporates too quickly.
- Add the kale and pasta, stirring to combine and cooking until the pasta is just al dente and the kale has wilted, about 6 minutes. The pasta will continue to cook in the hot broth.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper then ladle the soup into soup bowls and top with grated Parmesan. If the pasta soaks up too much of your broth, just add additional water, a cup at a time.
Video
Notes
Cook your beans until just tender and add pasta toward the end so it doesn’t overcook and absorb all the broth, keeping the soup pleasantly brothy.
If you skipped soaking the beans overnight it will take an additional hour or so for the beans to cook.
Nutrition
Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 385mg | Potassium: 667mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1430IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg
