Rustic Pasta Fagioli (Side Dish not Soup!)
Grab a fork because this hearty pasta fagioli eats like an Italian side dish instead of a soup. Easy to find cranberry or Romano beans bring super creamy texture to classic ditalini pasta recipe that is perfect next to your protein of choice.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups cranberry beans also might be called borlotti beans or Roman(o) beans.
- 3 ½ Tablepoons kosher salt divided
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 oz diced pancetta or ½ package
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 sprigs rosemary plus 2 teaspoons minced
- 2 T tomato paste
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 qt. vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups ditalini pasta cooked al dente in salted water
- 1 T unsalted butter
- parmesan cheese for garnish
- drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
- Add the beans to a large bowl and cover with 2 ½ quarts of water. Season with 2 ½ Tablespoons salt (1T/qt). Cover with plastic and place in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight.2 cups cranberry beans
- The next day, rinse and drain the beans. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a 4 qt soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute with the onion until translucent.2 T olive oil, 2 oz diced pancetta, 1 small onion
- Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the 3 rosemary sprigs.4 cloves garlic, 3 sprigs rosemary plus 2 teaspoons
- Stir in the tomato paste along with the red pepper flakes and cook for about 2 minutes.2 T tomato paste, ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- Add the soaked beans along with the vegetable broth and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt.1 qt. vegetable broth, 3 ½ Tablepoons kosher salt
- Simmer over medium heat until the beans are tender, about 45 - 50 minutes.
- Once the beans are tender and have absorbed the broth (hopefully), stir in the cooked pasta, the minced rosemary and finally the butter until melted. Correct for seasoning and serve with grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.1 ½ cups ditalini pasta, 1 T unsalted butter, parmesan cheese, drizzle of olive oil
Notes
Before soaking the beans: pick through and discard any that look "off" or wrinkled.
To season the bean soaking water: Add 1 T of kosher salt for every 1 qt. of water. Rinse before cooking and then season the cooking broth per the recipe above.
After soaking, the beans should have plumped up. If they haven't, there is a chance the beans are old. Check the expiration date before soaking.
Prefer to make pasta fagioli as a soup? You can make the beans as thick or soupy as you wish. Add an extra quart of stock and season to taste.
