Pasta e Fagioli is one of the easiest, heartiest, most comforting platefuls of soup you'll ever have the pleasure of digging into. It has everything we love, beans, pasta, tomatoes and it's easy to make!
Heat the olive oil over a medium high flame in a 5 quart Dutch oven. When it ripples, add the onion, carrot, celery and pancetta. Sprinkle with a little salt. Lower the heat to medium. Cook stirring until the onion is transparent, and, if using, the fat on the pancetta translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
Turn the flame back to medium high. Add the garlic. Cook stirring for 1-2 minutes or until you smell it’s aroma. Add the tomatoes. (If using straight from the can, swirl a little of the stock to rinse out any tomato that’s left and tip it into the pot). Cook the tomatoes until they are reduced a little and have taken on an orangey color.
Add the stock , the beans and the parmesan rind if using. Bring to a boil. Cover. Lower the flame to medium. Cook at a simmer until the beans are heated through, about 20 minutes. At this point you can mash some of the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the soup. Remove the cheese rinds from the soup and dice. Return to the soup and stir in. Taste for salt.
Just before serving, add the pasta of your choice to the simmering soup. Cook it ‘al dente’ which I usually do to 1 minute less than the packet directions. Turn off the heat and let the soup sit for 5 minutes. Serve in bowls drizzled with some good olive oil, a grind or two of black pepper, and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Ann's Tips:
If using homemade beans, in step 3, add the bean broth to the soup along with the beans and top up the soup with stock to taste.
For a vegetarian version, ditch the optional pancetta and add 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika along with the garlic in step 2.
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