Milano Pasta Fagioli Recipes

PASTA E FAGIOLI (ITALIAN PASTA AND BEANS)

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and about 10 twists of black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about 6 to 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, stir, and cook until the tomatoes are bubbling all over. Add the broth, water, bay leaves, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
• Use a heat-safe measuring cup to transfer about 1 1/2 cups of the soup (avoiding the bay leaves) to a blender. Add about 3/4 cup of the drained beans. Securely fasten the lid and blend until completely smooth, being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid. Pour the blended mixture back into the soup.
• Add the remaining beans, pasta, kale and parsley to the simmering soup. Continue cooking, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, for about 20 minutes, or until the pasta and greens are pleasantly tender.
• Remove the pot from the heat, then remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Taste and season with more salt (I usually add another 1/4 teaspoon) and pepper until the flavors really sing. Garnish bowls of soup as desired, and serve.
• Leftovers taste even better the next day. Allow leftover soup to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Or, freeze leftover soup in individual portions and defrost as necessary.

PASTA FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook celery, onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt in the hot oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce, and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add pasta and cook 10 minutes, until pasta is tender.
• Add undrained beans and mix well. Heat through. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

PASTA-E-FAGIOLI PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain. Meanwhile, finely chop onion, and tear pale inner leaves of escarole to yield 4 cups (reserving the rest for another use).
• Heat oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high. Add onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Add beans and their liquid, broth, and 1/4 cup pasta water (or a bit more, if you prefer your pasta creamier); simmer until slightly reduced, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stir in pasta, cheese, and 3 cups escarole; season to taste. Drizzle remaining 1 cup escarole with oil; season to taste. Serve pasta topped with dressed escarole, drizzled with oil and sprinkled with more cheese.

EASY PASTA FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute carrot, celery and onion until soft. Add garlic and saute briefly. Stir in tomato sauce, chicken broth, pepper, parsley and basil; simmer for 20 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ditalini pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Add beans to the sauce mixture and simmer for a few minutes. When pasta is done, stir into sauce and bean mixture.

PASTA E FAGIOLI I

Steps:

• Heat oil in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
• Add undrained tomatoes, undrained cannellini beans, chicken broth, parsley, basil and pepper to Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Let boil for approximately 1 minute and then let simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
• Add pasta to Dutch oven and simmer approximately 10 to 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve immediately and enjoy.

PASTA E FAGIOLI A LA CHEZ IVANO

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, cook beef until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
• In the same pot, heat the olive oil. Cook onion, celery, garlic and black pepper until vegetables are tender, 10 minutes. Stir in beef broth, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with thyme, basil, oregano and parsley. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. (At this point, you may put the pot on a back burner to keep warm and continue with the next steps about 1 hour prior to serving, if you wish.)
• Stir in the beef and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in the pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the beans and heat through, 10 to 15 minutes.

QUICK PASTA FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Saute garlic in oil in 10" Skillet or Dutch oven with at least 2 Qt capacity, until garlic is lightly browned.
• Remove garlic and discard.
• (I prefer to use chopped garlic and leave it in after browning).
• Add chopped carrot, onion and celery; saute until they begin to color, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add rosemary and tomato paste.
• Add beans with their liquid, chicken broth and water.
• Simmer uncovered, 2 minutes.
• Add pasta, stirring to distribute ingredients evenly.
• Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until pasta is al dente firm, but tender.
• (*With the 8 to 10 oz. of pasta, I cook for about 16 minutes).
• Remove pan from heat.
• Let stand, covered 10 minutes.
• Add salt, if necessary.
• Combine cheese and parsley in small serving bowl.
• Stir vinegar into soup, and ladle into warmed soup bowls.
• Serve with cheese-parsley mixture.
• *Note-I chop the vegetables in my blender, I prefer them more finely chopped and not too coarse.
• Plus it's a real time-saver!
• MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS: Reduce rosemary to 1/2 Tsp Combine garlic and oil in 4 Qt casserole.
• Microwave, uncovered, at full power for 2 minutes.
• Remove garlic, add carrot, onion and celery.
• Microwave, uncovered, for 3 minutes.
• Add rosemary, tomato paste, undrained beans, chicken broth and water.
• Cover.
• Microwave at full power for 14 to 16 minutes or until boiling.
• Stir in pasta.
• Cover.
• Microwave at half power for 12 minutes.
• Stir in vinegar.
• Add salt, if necessary.
• Let stand, covered, 10 minutes.
• Serve with the cheese and parsley mixture.

MEME'S PASTA FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; saute carrot, celery, and onion until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir vegetable juice cocktail, chicken broth, parsley, basil, oregano, and black pepper into vegetable mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup for 20 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook ditalini pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain.
• Stir cannellini beans and ground beef into soup; cook and stir until soup is heated through, about 10 minutes.
• Spoon about 1/3 cup pasta into each serving bowl; ladle soup over pasta.