Friday 13 January 2012

Recipe: Pasta e Fagioli

This is one of my favourite recipes ever! I wouldn't even have known about it if it weren't for my time working as a cook at an Italian restaurant. Yeah, sure they sell this stuff in a can at the store, but ick! Different regions in Italy make this differently and it's not to everyone's taste. I happen to love beans and pasta so I love this!
Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 3 stick celery, diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 can small diced tomatoes
  • basil (3-4 leaves fresh or 2-3 t dried)
  • 2-3 t dried oregano
  • 1-2 t seasoning salt
  • 1 can Romano beans
  • 1 can white Lima beans
  • 1-2 cups chicken broth
  • pasta
  • Parmesan or Romano cheese
Saute the onions in the oil in a medium-large pot, then add the diced carrots, celery and garlic. Add the can of tomato and spices. Simmer for a while. Drain and rise the beans thoroughly. Add to the pot along with the chicken broth. Bring it all to a boil and then simmer until the veggies are soft.

You can make pasta ahead of time or at the same time. The ideal pasta for this is ditalini but this can be hard to find. Macaroni is probably the next best thing. You can mix the pasta into the pot or serve it layered. I do find that the pasta will sometimes go a bit mushy if it's stored together. Serve hot with grated cheese.
Slice down lengthwise first to prep for dicing
Diced carrots
Mirepoix
This is why we rinse the beans
Simmer!
Bowl of Tasty

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