Lou?

This is in my "to try" file, but I think many on the forum have made it and given it a thumbs up!

Pasta e Fagioli
Posted by Marilyn (danaIN)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion; chopped
2 stalks celery; sliced
2 carrots; julienne cut
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 pound Italian sausage (or ground beef)
2 cloves garlic; minced
4 cups beef broth or stock
1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes in puree
1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans; drained
1 (15-oz.) can red kidney beans; drained
1 cup ditalini pasta (or small shells)
freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a very large soup pot, heat oil over medium-low heat. Stir in onion, celery, carrot and a sprinkle each of salt and pepper. Cover pot and "sweat" vegetables until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove vegetables from pot and set aside.

Brown sausage in pot until no longer pink, stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add vegetables back to pot along with beef broth, wine, dried basil, tomatoes, salt and lots of fresh ground pepper (We like it spicy so I use a good teaspoon). Cover pot and simmer over low heat for one hour.

Uncover pot and increase temperature so mixture simmers without the id. Stir in beans and simmer for another 30 minutes or to desired consistency. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente (still a little chewy) and rinse in cold water; stir into soup and turn off heat. *If it cooks too much after adding the pasta it will become over cooked and too soft. Serve with freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese.

*For thicker soup, puree half of the beans before adding to the soup

Linda

I was going to post Marilyn's recipe too. It is very good.

I like Cindymac's recipe.

* Posted by HanArt (My Page) on
Sat, Oct 15, 05 at 22:43

My MIL taught me how to make it years ago ... here's my current version. Amounts are approximate.

Pasta e Fagioli

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
about 2 cups canned tomatoes, broken up with a spoon or pureed (or 2 cups fresh diced)
3-4 cups chicken broth
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed & drained (or cannellini beans)
1 Â 1 1/2 cups ditali pasta or small shells (I usually use about 3 handfuls)
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
coarse salt & fresh ground pepper
2-3 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade

In large saucepan sauté onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil till soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a slow boil, add beans, pasta, red pepper flakes, and salt & pepper to taste. Cook until pasta is al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Add fresh basil just before removing from heat.

Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Asiago.

Thank you. I will need to try both!
Anybody else?

I make it almost every week, but I don't use a recipe. The easiest way I know of is to dump two cans of stewed tomatoes, diced, and some tomato sauce and V-8 juice to taste (or bouillon if you're a meat eater) along with 1 tsp. or so italian seasoning, a garlic clove and a shot of dark red wine, all in a big pot, add canned dark red kidney beans or canellini beans or garbanzos, or a mix of these, and then simmer for about a half hour. Then add cooked ditalini or whatever other type of soup pasta you like. It's good with spaghetti broken into little pieces, which is what I'm having for dinner tonight. Top with grated parmesean.

But when I'm making something more substantial, I add a sauteed onion, sauteed diced carrots, green peppers, and maybe celery or zuchinni. More garlic for that. Crumbled bacon or sliced sausages, or for me, bits of fake sausage cut up or fake bacon bits. The stuff I made this week has frozen italian style green beans added, they are good too. But none of that is traditional. Traditional is just beans, broth, meat if you like, and pasta. For something even simpler, take a large jar of high quality spaghetti sauce (like Newman's Own), thin with broth, add canned beans, some browned pancetta, a shot of red wine and simmer for about 15 min. Then add cooked pasta and serve topped with parmesean.

Here's a recipe from "The Bean Bible" by Aliza Green

Pasta e Fagioli from the Villa Cipriani

1 lb. cranberry beans, soaked overnight (can use red kidneys, red beans or pintos instead)
1/2 lb ditalini pasta
1 6 oz. piece of pancetta (I'd brown it first)
1 6 oz piece of cotenna (the skin of proscuitto, or use a pork rind)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
16 cups cold water
2 TBLSP beef concentrate
6 oz. grated parmigiano-reggiano
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
EVOO for garnish

1. Drain soaked beans. Reserve.
2. In a large pot, combine the beans, pancetta, cotenna, garlic and water. Bring to a boil, skim off any white foam, and redice the heat. Cover and cook very slowly for 4 hours. Remove from heat, discard the pancetta and cotenna.

3. Puree half the soup in a blender or food processor, and then pass through a food mill (yeah, right) to remove the bean skins. Combine the puree with the remaining beans. Stir in the beef concentrate and cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Add the cooked pasta just before serving. Serve in wide shallow bowls and drizzle wach serving with about 1 TBLSP EVOO. I would garnish with chopped parsly and more parm too. And I wouldn't bother with the food mill part.

Since I'm a vegetarian, when I make pasta e fagioli from dried beans, I add onion, carrot, celery and a bay leaf to the cooking water, and add fake bacon bits instead of pancetta. I puree half of the soup by using a hand blender and just pureeing in one area of the pot. And like I said, I also like mine with a shot of dark red wine. I use whatever merlot...

I make a white pasta e fagioli. I had it the first time at Frankie & Johnny's in the Bronx. It's my favorite.

I chop up some bacon or pancetta and cook it with a little bit of olive oil. When it's rendered its fat, I add a little chopped onion, finely chopped carrot, a little minced garlic, and saute until tender. Then add drained & rinsed cannellini beans, bay leaf, and chicken stock/ broth. Bring to a boil, add small or broken pasta and simmer until pasta is cooked. Serve with crostini brushed with melted butter and thyme.

This is an OLD photo:

Lori

Lori, that looks really good. Do you also add a little cream? It looks really creamy in your photo.

Linda

Linda, no, I don't add cream. The starch in the beans and the pasta make it thick. It really is good. Frankie's & Johnny's is the only place I've ever had the white version or have ever seen it on the menu!! It's really good - I think I'll make it tonight!!

Lori :D

Duane : Thanks !
Sorry, I didn't see the Post until now. I've been laying around for about 10 days.
- - - - - - - - - - -
FAST - Pasta Fasulli ( Beans and Macaroni ) and OtherÂs

Start with a big pot. Throw in 2 large cans of Great Northern beans
and 2 cups of water, start to warm them
Add more water later if needed..

Meanwhile cook about ½ lb. Noodles or spaghetti # 8 or #9

Sautee and chop 2 Sausage Links, drain fat.

In the micro wave, nuke 1/2 cup of onions and tomatoes chopped small, 2 tablespoons of Carrots,
with 2 tablespoons of water, until the onions are soft. Add them to the beans.
Spice with 1/2 teasp. Garlic Pdr. , Black Pepper, 2 cloves, 2 bay leaves,
1/4 teasp. Parsley, 1 tablesp. Chicken Soup stock, pinch of Oregano.
Add the cooked Spaghetti and stir in a Tablesp. of grated Parmasan Cheese.
Add more Grated Parmesan cheese when serving

Always spice to your own taste add more or less of what you like.
You can prepare this in about 15 minutes. Or let it simmer a little.
It can be thicken with Instant Potatoes, if you like.

I used Ham in the Photo.

This recipe can be used with different canned Beans, Lentils or Cece ( Chick Peas)
Or with Broccoli ( leave out the tomatoes ) and add some Olive Oil when done.
.

Lou

OOOH Lori, Your soup looks amazingly good. I'd be happy with a bowl of your soup for dinner.

Ann

Lori:
Your soup does look amazingly good. If I were feeling better,
I'd be happy too, with a bowl of your soup for supper.
Lou