Classic Pasta e Fagioli Recipe

Adapted from Chow.com

Pasta e fagioli, meaning “Pasta and beans,” is a classic and traditional Italian dish. The ingredients are inexpensive and the recipe is very simple! It is often pronounced pasta fazool in the United States (after the pronunciation of beans in the Neapolitan language, “pasta e fasule“).

Information:

• Serves: 4
• Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of dried tubettini pasta 
• 2 cups cooked small white beanssuch as cannellini
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3.5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 10 small fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
• Leaves from 2 fresh rosemarysprigs, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups reserved bean-cooking liquid

Directions:

1. Fill a medium saucepan with heavily salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and boil until partially cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Combine 1/2 cup of the cooked beans and the water in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, sage, and rosemary and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in tomato paste and cook until it caramelizes and melts in with the other ingredients, about 2 minutes.
   ​
3. Thin tomato-paste mixture with bean-cooking liquid, add remaining 1 1/2 cups beans, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add pasta and bean purée to soup, and simmer until pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper if necessary, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve.