Serves 8 Serves 8
Next to its celebration of creamy white beans, my favorite thing about this soup is the way its name is pronounced by Italian-Americans: “pasta fazool,” simply a fast and fun way of saying pasta e fagioli. Typical of many Italian dishes, the recipe for this soup varies from home to home. You might see it made with different beans, fresh pasta instead of dried, and with heartier stocks.
The consistency of the soup is a matter of personal preference. A lot of American chefs puree this soup to thicken it, but my first taste of pasta e fagioli was in my grandmother’s kitchen, where soups were never pureed. Taking her lead, I thicken the soup by mashing a potato that’s been cooked in the broth itself and stirring it back into the liquid, leaving each and every bean intact and ready to be savored in all its natural glory.
Like most of the recipes in this chapter, this one can be made in advance, but don’t add the pasta until the soup has been reheated or the noodles will expand like sponges and turn this into a watery pasta dish. For the same reason, if you only serve a portion of the soup at a time, keep the amount you don’t use separate and pasta-free.
Serve this with Herbed or Cheese Croutons, if desired.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound prosciutto di Parma, cut into medium dice (double-smoked bacon can be substituted)
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
1 small Spanish onion, peeled and cut into small dice
1 stalk celery, cut into small dice
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
1 quart store-bought, reduced-sodium vegetable broth or homemade Vegetable Stock
1 quart water
2 medium baking potatoes, peeled
One 1-pound-13-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup dried ditalini pasta, cooked and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
Extra-virgin olive oil
1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring, until the prosciutto begins to render its fat, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the carrot, onion, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir to coat the other ingredients, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth, water, and potatoes. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are very soft (a sharp, thin-bladed knife should easily pierce their center), about 20 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes to a bowl. Mash the potatoes with a masher or a large fork or spoon.
3. Return the mashed potatoes to the pot and stir them into the soup. If not serving immediately, let cool, cover and refrigerate for a few days or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat before proceeding.
4. Add the beans and pasta. Cook over medium heat until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rosemary, crushed red pepper, and cheese. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.
5. To serve, ladle some soup into each of 8 bowls. Top with some more cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
VARIATIONS
Chickpea Soup
For a soup that’s less Italian in character, and more generally Mediterranean, omit the pasta, replace the cannellini beans with an equal quantity of chickpeas, and increase the cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes, until the chickpeas are tender and warmed through.
If you love cassoulet, the highly adaptable French bean stew that can include everything from sausage to duck to poultry, you can use this recipe to do a pretty good impression of one: Omit the pasta and add 3 or 4 (4-ounce) links sweet Italian sausage that have been cut into 1/2-inch rounds and browned, or use coarsely chopped, store-bought duck confit (see Mail-Order Sources).