Pasta e Fagioli
When that chill is in the air and you just want to curl up with a bowl of comfort food, this is what I crave. It’s hearty and rich and full of flavor. Best of all, you probably have everything to make this right in your pantry.
Like so many other dishes, there are many versions of this recipe out there. Most of them call it a soup. For my family it is really a pasta dish. Not so much soupy as a pasta with beans-as the name suggests. Some of the different interpretations of this out there use white beans. We have always used kidney beans. Why? I don’t know! That’s just the way it’s done in my family.
I know that most versions call on you to mash half the beans and keep the rest whole to add creaminess to the soup. That’s all well and good, but that requires and extra step. Nope. Not gonna do it! I just get out the potato masher (or even the back of a fork will work) and mash some of the beans right in the pot! It doesn’t look fancy this way, but I actually prefer it! It look rustic, and that’s what this dish is all about! This is the version I grew up on. It’s simple, and fresh and just plain good.
Don’t forget the bread! Brush some crusty bread with a little olive oil and rub it with some garlic, then toast it! Yum!
Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium tomatoes seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 small carrot chopped
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 cup chicken broth any broth will work or you can use water
- 1 pound favorite small pasta
- salt & pepper
- grated Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Chop the garlic, carrot and tomatoes.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauce pan. Add the garlic, carrot and tomatoes. Add some salt & pepper. Cook on medium heat until the tomatoes release their juices. About 10 minutes. Get you pasta cooking.
- Add the beans and the broth and cook an additional 10 minutes. Add salt & pepper.
- Using a potato masher, mash the sauce about 5 times. We want to leave some of the beans intact while others get mashed.
- Drain your pasta and return it to the pan. Add the beans over the pasta and stir gently.
- Serve in bowls top with Parmesan cheese.
