A classic dish of the Mediterranean diet, pasta e fagioli is a perfect antidote for cold winter days. This traditional Italian pasta and bean soup is made with pantry staples and inexpensive ingredients, making for a crowd-pleasing meal packed with flavor and nutrients.
Pasta e fagioli, believed to date from the Middle Age era, started as a peasant dish in Italy. It can be made with either borlotti or cannellini beans, and a variety of short pasta, such as ditalini or elbows, except in Emilia Romagna where it is prepared with maltagliati, a flat egg pasta. Beans and pasta are sometimes cooked together, other times separately. It can be served as a warm or a cold dish and comes in different thickness. Some prefer it with a tomato sauce base and others without, or in bianco. Many use bacon or pancetta to flavor it, while others choose a vegetarian option and top it with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. This humble but delicious dish is in fact one of the healthiest options for a balanced meal. It contains carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins and is low in saturated fats and high on fiber.
No matter the recipe, the hearty soup is popular all over the world, and was even mentioned in Dean Martin’s hit song “That’s Amore” as “pasta e fasul”, its Neapolitan dialect name.
For a gluten-free version, it can be prepared using Barilla Chickpea Rotini, a delicious legume pasta made with one simple ingredient: chickpea flour. This tasty recipe doubles on the bean power is prepared with a soffritto, an aromatic base of onions, carrots and celery, fragrant extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs, and finished up with savory lard or bacon.
Serve in individual ramekins alongside rustic bread for a nourishing, soul-warming meal.
Pasta e Fagioli
Serves 6
1 box Barilla Chickpea Rotini, 2 lbs fresh borlotti beans (or 2 can of cannellini beans), 1 oz sliced lard or bacon, 1 stem chopped celery, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped onion, 1 sliced garlic clove, 2 rosemary sprig, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper
How to prepare it
Step 1 - Cook the beans
In a saucepan lightly fry the chopped celery, carrot and onion with 4/5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt and two bay leaves for two minutes, then add one tablespoon of tomato paste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes and add 8 cups of cold water and the beans (if using canned cannellini beans, follow the label cooking instructions). When it starts to boil, add a rosemary sprig, and cover the pot with a lid for 30 minutes. When the beans are done, check the saltiness and add pepper. If preferred, the cold water can be replaced with a vegetable broth for a tastier soup.
Step 2 – Prepare the beans puree
Drain half of already cooked beans and discard of the bay leave and rosemary, then blend them in a smooth cream.
Step 3 – Cook and add the pasta
Put back the bean cream on the stove, stir in the dry pasta, and cook 7-9 minutes according to box instructions, making sure it doesn’t burn. When the pasta is cooked, add in the whole beans.
Step 4 – Prepare the lard mixture and finish the dish
In the meantime, mince a garlic glove, a rosemary stem and the lard. Add the mixture to the pasta e fagioli, season with a generous amount of ground black pepper and serve in individual ramekin.