Translated as 'pasta with beans' and known as 'Pasta Fazool' in Philly, this soup that has so many variations I can't count them. Everyone has a family favorite recipe and each one is the 'right' one. This is the way I like it - sometimes with red kidney beans and larger chunks of tomato - but always with lots of garlic.
Pasta e Fagioli
Printable Recipe
Serves 8
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion - chopped
2 stalks celery - chopped
2 medium carrots - peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic - minced
8 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 handful freshly chopped parsley
4 cups cooked cannellini beans
1 cup crushed tomato
1 cup small pasta such as ditalini, small elbows or small shells
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic and turn the heat low. Stir and cook until softened - take your time with this step, it will add a lot of flavor. Keep the heat low - it takes about 10 minutes or so.
2. Add stock, parsley and bay leaf and bring to a boil - reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender.
3. Bring to a boil again and add beans, tomato and pasta. Reduce heat once more and cook until pasta is done - about 20 minutes longer.
4. Take off heat and add Parmesan. Stir well and serve with more Parmesan for the top.
11 comments:
hi! this looks scrumptious...
I'm Italian from an Italian family...and though I grew up here in the US mostly my first language was Italian...and I did spend a couple of my pre-pubescent years in Rome.
pasta e fagioli in my family was never soup...it was a pasta dish with beans!!
so "e" means "and"...so it's pasta AND beans...
But one thing that is definitely true about Italian cooking is that variations abound depending on family and region, so no doubt pasta e fagioli is a soup some of the time.
yum.
Hi, Monica! Let me try and explain my reasoning here - we live near Philadelphia - and in Philly, pasta fazool (cause they mispronounce *everything*) is a soup - so, I added it here because it's not eaten any other way in these parts. Also, the 'and' is most certainly correct, but once again, for Philly folk everything is "wit'" - even the cheesesteaks ;) It's also a bit like the Puerto Rican Rice and Beans here - in other parts of the country and for other ethnicities (like New Orleans) it's called beans and rice.
So ... after that lengthy explanation (which I should have added to the body of the post!) THANKS so much for stopping by here and leaving a note - you're a doll!
Hey Anne!
Going to try this tonight! Do you think you could approximate times to your recipes? Some soups take hours, some minutes. It's good in menu planning to be able to glance and see what is feasible for a given day.
Hi, Dearie - dunno - this one looks like 50 minutes? (If I added right) - at any rate, about an hour with chopping time included.
I *HAVE* to do the time thing for work, so I go lax on my own sites and let everyone add for themselves Sooooo lazy!
I'll try harder next time, just 'cause you're cute, though.
oh...my I'm terrible with time and such too...I always do my own thing and expect others to do so as well...
learning to share recipes is a learning curve for me...
I never measured a darn thing, but now I'm starting to so that the recipes can be accurate when shared.
I'd love to come to Philly some time...sounds like a different culture which is always delightful!
Learning curve - indeed! I rarely measure things and it's so hard to convey simple nuances that make a dish.
Doing it for a living has taught me a thing or two, but I still find myself falling down on the job on my own blogs. *sigh* I'd almost rather just cook for others than share it all in written form. The finished product is so much tastier ;)
*exactly*
which is why I want YOU to do it for me! ;)
This was a huge hit tonight! I doubled the pasta cuz my kids love pasta. It will definitely be added to our rotation.
This looks like a great recipe for me to make.
I made your Pasta Fagioli recipe last weekend. It was excellent. I thank you. Next, I will try your option of adding meatballs!
Thanks for letting me know, Darren! And do update me on the next.
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