Pasta e Fagioli (Tuscan Bean & Pasta Soup)

 This is not your Nonna’s pasta e fagioli. Found this on Italia Squisita on youTube.

Author: Aurelio Barattini, L’Antica Locanda di Sesto, Lucca

Tradition: 4 generations, 100+ years in the restaurant

Ingredients

• 1 lb cranberry beans (PennMac has them in the bulk food bins)
• 4–5 garlic cloves
• Fresh sage leaves
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2–3 5 - 6 tbsp tomato paste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & black pepper
• Fresh rosemary
• 2–3 small chili peppers
• 1–2 tbsp lard (optional, for flavor)
• 12 oz. Ditalini pasta (spelt pasta preferred)

Instructions

1. Soak Beans (Night Before):
• Place beans in water with garlic cloves and sage. Leave overnight. (I started in the morning and soaked for 3 hours, then pressure cooked.)
2. Cook Beans (Morning):
• Drain soaking water.
• Add beans, garlic, and sage, to a pot with fresh water, and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Boil for 2–2.5 hours until tender. (Alternatively, use the instant pot “Bean” setting, 30 minutes high and then release.)
• Strain beans, reserving cooking water. Keep a handful of whole beans aside.
3. Prepare Mirepoix:
• Sauté carrot, celery, and onion in olive oil until lightly browned.
• Stir in tomato paste and cook until dark.
• Add chili, rosemary, and sage and cook a little longer
• Add drained beans to pot.
• Crush remaining beans through a sieve into the mirepoix, thinning with cooking water. (I just mashed with a potato masher.)
• Return bean cooking liquid to pot and simmer until creamy.
4. Cook Pasta:
• Add pasta to the broth. Cook longer than package directions (e.g., 15 minutes instead of 9) for a softer texture.
• Add reserved whole beans back in. Adjust salt. (No salt anywhere else in this recipe, so you'll need a lot!)
5. Finish & Serve:
• Ladle into bowls.
• Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle black pepper, and garnish with sage leaves.
• Parmesan is optional, believe it or not.

 
Notes

• First trial was with the smaller amount of tomato paste. We think more will be better.
• This dish is considered a “poor dish” of Tuscan tradition, but rich in taste and history.