Zuppa di Pasta e Fagioli
Beans, fagioli, are grown throughout the Italian peninsula and Sicily, with most regions having their favorites. With such a good source of protein so readily available, beans form a substantial part of the traditional Italian diet and you’ll find them served in every way imaginable — raw, stewed, baked, steamed, you name it. As one might expect, each of Italy’s regions adds its own distinctive flair to the many basic recipes and that’s certainly true of today’s recipe.
Now, having said that, I must confess that this dish, Pasta e Fagioli, was never served back in the old two-flat. I’ve no idea why but it just wasn’t part of the Bartolini playbook. So, how did I come to prepare it?
The first Christmas after I moved out of my parent’s home, Zia and Uncle gave me a cookbook, “The Romagnoli’s Table”. It was the first cookbook I owned and it remains a cherished possession. What sets this book apart, aside from how it came to be mine, is that it’s the only one that I’ve found that contains recipes that begin with a battuto, just like so many of the Bartolini recipes from back in the day. (You may recall that battuto is a type of Italian soffritto consisting of onion, parsley, garlic, and salt pork.) Well over a dozen years ago, I followed their recipe to make Pasta e Fagioli for the first time and, though I’ve made a few minor changes along the way, I still follow it today.
Like so many wonderful Italian recipes, this is not a complicated dish to prepare nor are the ingredients hard to find, save one. I’ve mentioned before that “good” salt pork is very hard to find. In fact, I’ve given up the search. Here, I’ve chosen to use guanciale. If you cannot find it, you can substitute pancetta or bacon, just so long as it isn’t smoked. A smoked pork product could very well overpower the dish.
Lastly, you may be wondering why I’ve chosen to share this recipe now, at the beginning of Spring, and not during the dead of Winter. There are two reasons for that. In the first place, it’s the beans. While we can get dried beans year-round, fresh beans are only available in the Summer months. Using them to make Pasta e Fagioli adds a wonderful flavor to the dish and should definitely be tried. Secondly, our friends in the Southern Hemisphere are heading into their cooler months and this dish will be welcomed. For them, I’m right on time.
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Pasta and Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 small onion
- 1 or 2 garlic cloves
- about 1/4 c fresh parsley
- 2 oz (57 g) guanciale (salt pork, pancetta, or non-smoked bacon may be substituted)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 quarts water
- 8 oz (230 g) dried Borlotti beans (See Notes)
- rind from a chunk of Pecorino Romano cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano rind may be substituted)
- 2 cups pasta (see Notes)
- grated Pecorino Romano cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano may be substituted)
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Directions
- The night before, place the beans in a container and add enough water to cover them by 3 inches. The next morning, pour off the liquid and rinse. The beans will be ready for use.
- Make the battuto:
- Coarsely chop the onion, celery, garlic, and parsley. Add to the guanciale.
- Heat the blade of a very sharp knife using the burner of your stove.
- Once hot, begin chopping the mixture of meat and vegetables. Keep chopping/dicing/mincing until a relatively smooth paste results.
- Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot.
- Add battuto and sauté until very lightly browned and fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add the water, beans, and cheese rind, raise the heat to med-high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook until beans are softened and thoroughly heated. (See Beans)
- Add the raw pasta and continue to cook until done. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
- Add hot water if too thick.
- Taste and season with salt & pepper, as needed.
- Remove the cheese rind and discard.
- Serve immediately, garnished with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
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Beans
Beans can be purchased 3 ways.
- Canned only require rinsing before use. In this recipe, they will only need to be thoroughly heated as they are already soft.
- Fresh can be added to the pot as you would canned beans. They should be cooked within 20 to 30 minutes.
- Dried beans can be prepared in two ways. No matter which method you choose, they will take about 90 minutes to cook.
- Place the beans in a large bowl and add enough water to cover by about 3 inches. Leave overnight, When ready, rinse before using in the recipe. Alternately,
- Place dried beans in a pot with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes, and then turn off the heat. Beans will be ready in one hour. Drain before use.
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Notes
Pssst. Don’t tell Zia that I used a mini-chopper to prepare the battuto.
Because this battuto uses celery, it is a far lighter shade than normal.
I used Borlotti beans in this recipe. You may know them as Roman or cranberry beans. You could, also, use red, kidney, or even cannellini beans, if you like. In short, use whichever beans are available. No Nonna is going to run to the store for Borlotti beans when she has cannellini beans in the pantry.
This recipe used 2 cups dried Borlotti beans. 1 can of beans may be substituted or, if you’re lucky enough to find fresh beans, use about 1.5 pounds (680 g).
Water, not stock, is used here because the battuto will add a great deal to the dish, whereas stock may muddle the flavors.
No need to treat the beans gingerly. Those damaged during the cooking process will only serve to thicken the final dish.
Any small pasta, pastina, will work here. I used ditalini here but have even used a combination of small paste.
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It’s déjà vu all over again …
One of my all-time favorite ways to serve pasta is to prepare it with clams. It is a tasty dish, one that I cannot resist when I see fresh clams at the fishmonger’s. I’ve shared 2 recipes for pasta with clams, one with a “white” sauce and the other “red”. Today I’ll send you back to the white sauce recipe post, which you can see just by clicking HERE.
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Coming soon to a monitor near you …
Maltagliati Pasta with Pistachio Pesto
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from the Bartolini kitchens 
Hi ChgoJohn,
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I’ve added the link to my home page and look forward to exploring your website.
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A beautiful dish as always. I think you’re one of very few people who can make a dish with beans look lovely. You know growing up my mother never cooked with beans other than the traditional Boston Baked beans so I never have any idea of what to use in bean dishes or chili.
I remember The Romagnoli’s Table! I used to own it but somehow in my many moves it was misplaced/lost and you’ve got me wondering if it’s still in print. I’ll have to look on Amazon.
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Thank you, Diane. We didn’t eat beans as frequently as many Italians but they certainly weren’t strangers to our table. The Romagnoli’s Table is no longer in print. I think you’ll be surprised to see what they’re asking for one in good condition. I know I was. I wish I hadn’t lost the book jacket. 🙂
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Ah, I just checked and yes, that was a surprise. Hang on to your copy even without the jacket it’s a treasure.
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As always, your recipes are absolutely delicious looking, and it’s lovely to read the stories behind them. Looking forward to that pistachio pesto! :3
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Thanks you so much. I hope you know of a good GF pasta so that you can try this dish. It really is a good one. 🙂
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This looks amazing-guanciale is quite tricky to find outside London, but I have often used pancetta and it’s still yummy. Thanks for sharing-I can’t wait to try it-it is raining in London, so it would be a perfect supper.
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Thank you. Pancetta is a good substitute. For my tastes, most pork products will do, so long as it isn’t smoked. The smokiness will overpower the rest of the dish’s ingredients. And yes, this would be perfect on a chilly, rainy day. 🙂
Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment.
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Bouno Sera John! I think this dish is perfectly timed. Even in Hong Kong, we keep changing from hot to very cool and damp days. Today is one of those cool and damp days and this dish would certainly fill up my boys,.I might need at least 2 bowls of it but very inexpensive to make so that is all good. On our last trip to Tuscany there were so many bean dishes, it was really prevalent in wine country. Cherish that little cookbook of yours as it sounds like it has many treasures. Take Care, BAM
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Buongiorno, BAM! This dish was created with feeding families in mind. Before modern times, meat was hard to come by for most peasants. Beans, though, were plentiful. Looking at the ingredients, they could feed their family for pennies — and it was a nutritious meal, too. Go ahead. Make a double batch and watch your teenagers gobble it up. I bet you’ll even get a bowl. 🙂
Hope you’re having a great week,
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So many chefs say to save your cheese rinds so I have a small stack accumulating in the freezer. I now have something to use them for! We love when you post a recipe simple enough for us to give it a whirl. Thanks!
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I use those cheese rinds all of the time. I put one in just about any kind of soup, in sauces, some stews. Experiment. I’ve yet to taste the dish and think that the cheese rind was a mistake. This recipe epitomizes traditional Italian cooking. Basic ingredients combined in a simple way. And it’s tasty, too. 🙂
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I will try in a sauce or stew – thanks for the tip!
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John, I love beans in almost any form. We actually had a version of this as a side in the restaurant with something delicious. I loved it. I always save my cheese rinds so nice to know I’m not the only person doing that. I throw them in soups or wherever I want to infuse some lovely cheesy flavor. I’m definitely putting this on my play list. Yum.
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Hello, Susie. This is a true Italian classic, which means that every Italian cook has a version. I really do love it and hope you’ll post your version one day. I’d certainly like to try it. Those rinds are like gold. I have all different sizes and choose the one to match the pot size.
I hope that when you do try this recipe, that you’ll enjoy it as much as we do. It’s a true favorite here.
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Oh, this takes me back to my childhood…. Wonderful post.
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I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. If you think reading about pasta e fagioli brings back memories, wait until you sit down to a bowl of it. It’s a time machine. 🙂
Thanks for the visit and for taking the time to comment.
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Now that’s my kind of pasta dish!! Sounds incredible, John. And I can’t wait for that pasta with pistachio pesto. I’m drooling just thinking about it. 🙂
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Hey, Caroline. This is such an easy dish to make that you’ll be surprised at how tasty it is. The pesto is coming. Hold on! 🙂
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buon giorno, John, ti ringrazio molto per aver portato all’attenzione dei tuoi tantissimi followers questo piatto tipico della cucina italiana! un piatto semplice ma ricco di vitamine e di sostatanza un piatto generoso e saporito! poi voi lo descrivete così ampiamente e bene, corredandolo con grandi foto! siete un mago!
good morning, John, thank you very much for bringing to the attention of your many followers this typical dish of Italian cuisine! a simple dish but rich of vitamins and sostatanza a generous and tasty dish! then you describe so widely and well, accompanied with great photos! you are a wizard!
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Buona sera, Ventis. I am so glad that you liked this post. I value your opinion greatly. Pasta e Fagioli is such a wonderful dish and a perfect example of traditional Italian cooking. I’m always glad to share these recipes. Thank you for your kind words, Ventis. Have a great week.
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Hi John. If there are dishes I love it is anything with beans. Perfect timing as you say for us . This is great encouragement to get out the slow cooker and go and look for some gorgeous Gianciale. Thanks too because now I am looking forward to winter…..soups. beans, pasta. Lovely
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If you love beans, this dish is for you! It’s so simple to make and has such great flavor. Truth be told, I make it year-round. It’s too good to wait until it’s cold outdoors.
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Another beautiful recipe to try John – thank you! This is just the sort of meal I feel like right now. 🙂
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Yes, with your current weather, pasta e fagioli would be perfect. It will help take the sting out of a few of those wintry days. Don’t forget a nice chunk of some crusty bread. 🙂
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John, you KNOW, don’t you, that if I mention to Teresa and Rita at the Cheese Shop that you’ve used guanciale to make battuto, that I’ll end up getting another lecture.. 😀 But I’m with you – I know it’s not traditional, but if I could, I’d use guanciale in everything, I adore it! Your beans and pasta would be a favourite here. I thought at first that THIS was the first dish that our old neighbour Mrs M had brought over to us during our first week here, but Pete reminded me that it was actually a pasta and peas dish (made with short pasta and lots of spring onions/scallions). x
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Oh, I do know, Celia. The thing is that some 30 or 40 years ago, our pig industry started breeding leaner pigs. With the fat went all of the good salt pork. Zia hasn’t made a battuto in years because of it. Using guanciale is as close to the old battuto that I can get. Now I just have to convince Zia to try it. I may have to make if for her. She’ll probably take the knife from me and take over once she sees how bad my knife skills are. 🙂
Peas and pasta go so well together. We always serve them together in the Spring and I cannot wait for the farmers markets to open so that I can get fresh peas. Love ’em!
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When I have time I like very much take a look to your interesting Blog… Every dish carries with it the authentic taste of Italian tradition… Many Compliments Dear John and Good Night:-)
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That is a wonderful compliment, Marilena, and I am very grateful for your kindness. Buona Pasqua!
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I’ve learned to love beans over the last few years, but I don’t think I ever would have thought to have beans in pasta. I wonder if I would like that. I guess I’ve had it in goulash before, but that’s not a dish I ever care to eat again. That was one of those that mom would make me sit in my seat and eat before I could be excused and I would always try to out sit her patience. LOL. I’m going to have to think on this one. If I can get past the thought of goulash I might give it a try. 😉
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Never fear, Kristy. This is soo not goulash — which I do happen to like, by the way. This is about as traditional an Italian dish as you’ll find and it’s really inexpensive to prepare. I bet you’ll like it. 😉
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