Pasta Fagioli

Pasta Fagioli di Mamma

By: Daniel Lucas

Dish: Soup
Season: Any
Source: Family Recipe
Servings: 4-6
Need help? Read the guide

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked kidney beans
  • 1 lb whole wheat fusilli
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • chili pepper
  • 4-6 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 28 oz canned tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • Pecorino Romano
  • fresh basil or parsley (depending on the season)

This is a classic peasant dish of pasta and beans that my family (among many others) has been making for years. So much so that you might even say that pasta fagioli has made us. This is a dish that carefully balances sustenance, tradition, and nutrition. Use whole wheat or brown rice pasta over white pasta for additional nutrition and be conservative with cheese at the table. Make it as spicy as you want!

Method

  1. Put oil and smashed garlic in a cold large pot
  2. Turn on heat to low and slowly heat garlic to a light golden color and add chili peppers as desired.
  3. Add tomatoes, water and salt and pepper to taste
  4. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and sommer for one hour
  5. Drain and rinse beans. Add to tomatoes and simmer for another hour
  6. In the meantime, cook pasta (slightly under cook)
  7. After beans cook, add pasta to beans and tomatoes and cook for another 15-30 minutes
  8. Toss a small amount of the soup in with the fusilli, so that they are coated. Don’t add them directly to the pot of soup or otherwise they will become mushy.
  9. Serve soup with fusilli, pecorino, basil/parsley, and chili pepper.

Pasta Fagioli

Pasta Fagioli di Mamma

By: Daniel Lucas

This is a classic peasant dish of pasta and beans that my family (among many others) has been making for years. So much so that you might even say that pasta fagioli has made us. This is a dish that carefully balances sustenance, tradition, and nutrition. Use whole wheat or brown rice pasta over white pasta for additional nutrition and be conservative with cheese at the table. Make it as spicy as you want!

Method

  1. Put oil and smashed garlic in a cold large pot
  2. Turn on heat to low and slowly heat garlic to a light golden color and add chili peppers as desired.
  3. Add tomatoes, water and salt and pepper to taste
  4. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and sommer for one hour
  5. Drain and rinse beans. Add to tomatoes and simmer for another hour
  6. In the meantime, cook pasta (slightly under cook)
  7. After beans cook, add pasta to beans and tomatoes and cook for another 15-30 minutes
  8. Toss a small amount of the soup in with the fusilli, so that they are coated. Don’t add them directly to the pot of soup or otherwise they will become mushy.
  9. Serve soup with fusilli, pecorino, basil/parsley, and chili pepper.

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