Pasta Fagioli Soup

Pasta Fagioli

Pasta and Beans

Pasta Fazool

"Don't be a fool, eat pasta fazool."(*)
(from the 1927 novelty song by Van and Schenck)

I love beans! They are healthy, cheap, filling, and tasty! Beans are high in soluble fiber, low in fat, and has no cholesterol! Beans are an excellent source of protein, complex carbohydrates, and have only about 225 calories per cup. There is evidence that most beans contain protease inhibitors that inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

Cannellini Beans are large white beans, about 1/2" long, with a firm texture and skin and a nut-like flavor. Very popular in Italy. Cannellini beans are mild in flavor and hold their shape well.

I love cooking them from scratch! Homemade beans from scratch are much healthier than the canned ones. Beans from cans are usually full of sodium, metal flavor, and preservatives like disodium EDTA, calcium chloride, and sodium sulfate. Beans from cans are not fresh, they have been storage in the cans for long periods, and sometime they fermented inside the metal cans!! Don’t cheat to yourself eating beans from can!! Beans from made scratch are healthier and taste better too!! Canned beans taste like Canned beans!!

Also you save money making them from scratch. You can get 4 cups of cooked beans from a bag of dried beans from under 60 cents each cup, and you get one can of cooked beans from 90 cents to $1.50! You can make big batch and freeze them. Also you help the planet not wasting metal!! ;)

Some people have the misconception than making beans is a lot of work and they are hard to cook. But it is not true. One you make them one time your will realize how extremely easy it is to cook them from scratch.

Don’t cheat yourself eating beans because they are healthy if you are going to eat then from cans!!

I use 4 different methods to cook dried beans from scratch.

Method 1: Soak overnight and cook.

Cover beans with water (3 cups of water for every 1 cup of dry beans) and let them soak for 8+ hours or overnight. Discharge water using a colander. Now your beans are ready to cook. Easy!

Method 2: Boil beans, let them rest for about 1 hour, and cook.

Cover beans with water (4 cups of water for every 1 cup of dry beans), bring them to boil for about 10 minutes, turn them off, and leave them soaking in the water for 1 hour. Discharge water using a colander. Now your beans are ready to cook. Easy!

Method 3: Cook beans in a pressure cooker (no soaking involved)

Super Easy! I will use this method in future recipes.

Method 4: Cook beans overnight in a slow cooker.

Very Very Easy! I will use this method in future recipes.

Ingredients

 

1 bag of 1 pound dried cannellini beans (soaked overnight)

1-2 cartons of Organic Chicken stock or enough water to cover the beans.
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil for cooking

1 white onion, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1 celery stalk, trimmed and chopped

8 sage leaves

2 branches of rosemary

2-3 branches of thyme

3 bay leaf
2 spoons of tomato paste (optional) or 2-3 fresh tomatoes peeled and cut in cubes. (Ups! I think I used more than 2 spoons of tomato paste this time)
1/2 cup of ditalini or elbow pasta

Salt and pepper 

Parmesan and Olio Nuovo for serving

Preparation

This time I used method 1.

The day before you cook the beans or early in the morning cover the beans with an inch of water or more (about 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of dry beans) and let them soak for 6+ hours. Discharge water using a colander. Now your beans are ready to cook.

Add olive oil in a large saucepan until medium hot. Saute onions until translucent, add pressed garlic, celery, and carrots. Add tomato paste or fresh tomatoes if you desire.  Add beans previously drained, and saute beans for 1 minute with the sauteed veggies. Add salt, and pepper to taste, chicken stock (or water), and herbs. Let it boil uncovered for 10 minutes, then reduced the temperature to low and cook covered for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beans are soft. One in a while stir the beans and check if there is enough liquid. Add water or chicken stock if necessary.

Add the pasta ditalini or elbow and cook for extra 10-12 minutes. Make sure there is plenty of liquid because the pasta will reduce and absorb a lot of the liquid.

Serve with Parmesan cheese and drizzled with Olio Nuovo or best extra virgin olive oil you have.

Now that's amore!! "When the stars make you drool, joos-ta like pasta fazool, that's amore". (From the Dean Martin song)

Buon appetito!!

Sarabelle Sylva

(*)(The Italian adjective fasullo/fasulla/fasulli/fasulle, meaning "fake" or "bogus", has a very similar pronunciation; but has no connection to "fazool".)