“Pasta e fagioli” that means “pasta and beans” in Italian started as a peasant dish, being composed of inexpensive ingredients. The recipe I propose to you is a kind of beans soup with orzo -or any other short pasta you have at hand- and you may prepare it as a soup or as a beans giouvetsi (traditional Greek orzo casserole)! If you are vegan or you engage into fasting you are going to love it! Optionally, you may add parmesan cheese.
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Ingredients
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- 250 g beans, soaked overnight if possible ,
- Salt ,
- 4 carrots, scrubbed, coarsely chopped ,
- 1 leek, white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise, coarsely chopped ,
- 6 garlic cloves ,
- ⅓ cup of extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling ,
- Freshly ground black pepper ,
- 500 g can tomatoes ,
- 2 bay leaves ,
- 250 g orzo or small pasta ,
- Finely grated Parmesan, crushed red pepper for topping (optional)
Instructions
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- Pulse carrots, leek, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. ,
- Heat ⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil in a large pot. ,
- Add chopped vegetables, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until vegetables start to sweat out some of their liquid, about 4 minutes. ,
- Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and cook, stirring every 5 minutes or so and reducing heat if mixture starts to brown, until vegetables are softened and juicy, about 15 minutes. ,
- Uncover and keep cooking, stirring and scraping bottom of pot every 5 minutes, until veggies start to brown in places, about 10 minutes more. ,
- Add beans, tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. ,
- Bring to a boil and then add bay leaves. ,
- Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a gentle simmer. ,
- Cook soup with lid askew, adding water (or stock, if you have it) as needed to keep beans submerged by 5 cm, until beans are very tender, 1–3 hours, depending on size of beans. ,
- Cook orzo or pasta in a large pot of boiling well-salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 3 minutes less than package directions. ,
- Drain pasta and add to soup, then taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. (Do not try to skip a step by cooking the pasta in the soup. The pasta will absorb all the available liquid and the liquid will be thick and gummy). ,
- Divide soup among bowls. Top with Parmesan, optionally, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Serve with bread for dunking.
