This traditional, tomato-based Italian soup of pasta and beans is quite popular all over America. However, it is especially popular in the state of New Jersey, which is home to the highest population of Italian Americans in the whole United States. In fact, nearly 18 percent of New Jersey residents report Italian ancestry.
The ingredients of pasta e fagioli (known in some parts of America as “pasta fazool”) will vary by region, but the dish is usually recognizable by the presence of pasta and beans in the recipe.
Recipe Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
- 3 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
- ½ cup water, plus more for cooking pasta
- 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1½ tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¾ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp salt, plus more for cooking pasta
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dried ditalini pasta
- 1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 6 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, for serving
Directions
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Crumble in the ground beef and cook thoroughly, stirring occasionally.
- Drain the fat from the ground beef; then transfer the meat to a plate and set aside.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in same pan.
- Add onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté on medium-high heat until tender, approximately 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté about 1 minute more.
- Pour in the chicken broth, tomato sauce, water, and diced tomatoes.
- Sprinkle in sugar and all the dry seasonings, including salt and ground black pepper.
- Stir in the cooked ground beef and bring mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15–20 minutes.
- Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain and add to the soup.
- Stir in kidney beans and great northern beans and cook about 1 minute longer.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve warm with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Optional:
If you don’t have great northern beans, navy beans or pinto beans will also work.
If you can’t find ditalini pasta, try elbow macaroni.
To make this a vegetarian dish, simply omit the meat.
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