Pasta e Fagioli

“When the stars make you drool, just like pasta fazool, that’s amore!” is a line in the famous tune That’s Amore! sung by Dean Martin. You may be familiar with it if you’ve ever seen Moonstruck starring Cher.  I always wondered what pasta fazool was when I heard it. Otherwise known as Pasta e Fagioli, Pasta Fazool is its Americanized name. In the Neapolitan language, pasta e fasule translates into pasta and beans. There are many variations, but its main components are, you guessed it, pasta and beans! Considered a traditional peasant dish, its protein source is derived from inexpensive ingredients. Once your veggies are prepped, you could be eating this within 45 minutes or less!

I might be dating myself here, but I grew up listening to Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and others from that era that were my parents’ choice of music.  I came from a musical family which doesn’t necessarily mean I was musical. It appears the boys in the family acquired that gene from my father; they were quite “instrumental”. My sister and I did put out the effort to remain in the family’s good graces (just kidding), but our brothers did outshine us in that category with their inherited abiliities to sing and play several instruments. I digress, but there’s always a back story, isn’t there?

The Ingredients:

 

The Prep:

 

Let’s make this!

Typical Pasta e Fagiloi doesn’t normally contain meat although in some regions of Italy, pancetta is used to flavor it. Without the addition of meat and chicken broth(use vegetable broth instead), you could count this as a Meatless Monday/vegetarian dish. I chose the meat option to make a heartier version. Other recipes use ground beef. However, you could use ground turkey or turkey sausage in its place. To start, I browned mild Italian sausage in a tablespoon of olive oil over MED to MED HIGH heat until no longer pink. Remove sausage from pan with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

Italian Soffritto:

Saffritto is a savory base used in many Italian dishes and known as “the holy trinity.” When cooked slowly in olive oil, their combination of flavors create their own umami base which can be used in many dishes. Referred sometimes as battuto in Italian, there can be personal and regional variations which may incorporate garlic as an aromatic as well as parsley or pancetta. Unlike the French mirepoix version usually cooked in butter, these veggies remain to be incorporated in the dish and not removed after their flavors have been cooked out. Often the vegetables are minced more finely than they appear here, but I wanted them to be more visible and bite-worthy.

In the same pot, saute the veggies with the garlic over MED-LOW heat until veggies are softened; onions will have a slight translucent appearance. Soffritto is sometimes browned a little more than visible below.

Next:

Stir in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce along with the cooked sausage/meat, if using.

Add the drained and rinsed beans with the chicken/vegetable broth and cheese rind (hard edge of the wedge). Simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Cannellini beans are used in traditional Pasta e Fagioli along with a cranberry bean. We added red kidney beans for that addition of color.

Finally, add the pasta, Italian Seasoning, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Simmer for about 10 more minutes. You can see that the cheese rind has softened considerably; its job of infusing flavor is complete. Remove it before serving. The Ditalini pasta is cooked and has helped create a hearty dish which is not as brothy as soup, yet is more stew-like than minestrone.

Serve it up!

If you could only smell it! Now I understand why it would make anyone drool! Such comforting flavors combine to make the perfect big-batch family meal! A side of focaccia bread or a crusty loaf would add an extra dose of yum!

Garnish:

I love to garnish soup with fresh basil! Just layer the leaves, roll them tightly like a cigar, and slice thinly. Now that’s how you chiffonade! You could also add grated Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Some even add a drizzle of olive oil on top before serving.