Pasta Fagioli (Fazool)
the lucky italian soup.
Full Recipe Video:
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
10 oz. pancetta, diced (see notes)
1 medium yellow onion, diced fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
6 cups chicken broth
3 cans (14.5 oz.) cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
Salt & pepper to taste
2 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
1 branch fresh rosemary
1/2 lb. (1/2 box) ditalini (or small pasta of your choice)
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp. butter
In a large pot (we use a Dutch oven), heat olive oil over low/medium heat. Add pancetta and cook for about 5 minutes until the fat begins to render.
Add onion and cook until translucent, also about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cooking about one minute. Continue to stir so garlic doesn’t burn.
Add white wine; cook down about 5 minutes.
Then add the chicken broth, salt & pepper, beans, tomatoes, bay leaves, and rosemary. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low/medium and simmer for about 20 minutes, uncovered.
Take a ladle and spoon out about 1 cup of the beans with some of the broth and spoon put into a glass bowl. If you have a hand emulsifier, puree the beans until it forms a paste. If you don’t have a hand emulsifier, you can use a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth and set aside.
Add pasta to the pot and turn heat up to medium/high so the soup comes to a gentle boil. Cook pasta until tender but al dente (firm to bite), about 8-10 minutes. Once pasta is cooked, remove rosemary and bay leaves from the soup and discard.
Stir in the pureed beans back into the soup. Continue to cook briefly until soup is hot and ready to serve.
Both the pasta and beans will thicken the soup considerably as you cook. If you prefer a more liquid consistency, you can always add more broth.
To serve, ladle into individual bowls, drizzle with a little olive oil and grate fresh parmesan on top of each serving. If desired, serve with a warm, crusty piece of bread.
Notes:
Pancetta: You can get packaged pancetta and any grocery store. If you’re buying pancetta from the butcher or Italian market (which we always prefer), ask for 3/4 lb. You can then dice it to the size you like.
Pasta: We always make this soup with ditalini, but any similar sized small pasta would work. If you’re looking for a lower carb version, you can always eliminate the pasta.
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