1 pound short, chunky pasta, such as orecchietti, fusilli, or penne
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3 tablespoons minced garlic (5 or 6 large cloves)
3 onions, diced (about 3 cups)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound curly endive (about 10 cups shredded)1
dash of salt and ground black pepper
3 cups undrained canned Italian plum tomatoes (28-ounce can)
3–4 cups drained cooked white beans, such as cannellini (two 16-ounce cans)
juice of 1 lemon
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grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese (optional)
Bring a large covered pot of water to a rapid boil.
While the pasta water heats, in a large saucepan sauté the garlic and onions in the olive oil until translucent. Wash and coarsely shred the endive. Stir the endive, salt, and pepper into the onions and cook for several minutes, covered, until the endive is bright green and reduced by at least half.
When the pasta water boils, stir in the pasta, cover, and return to a boil. Then uncover the pot and cook the pasta until al dente. While the pasta cooks, add the juice from the tomatoes to the endive, and then either coarsely chop the tomatoes with a knife right in the can or crush them with your hand. Stir the tomatoes and the beans into the endive, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the lemon juice to the sauce just before you drain the pasta.
Serve the sauce immediately, ladled onto bowls of hot pasta. Top with grated cheese, if desired.
PER 8-OZ SERVING: 220 CALORIES, 8.3 G PROTEIN, 3.7 G FAT, 39 G CARBOHYDRATE, 107 MG SODIUM, 0 MG CHOLESTEROL.
TOTAL TIME
25 minutes
SERVINGS
6 to 8
MENU
Serve after Bruschetta (see page 262) and a platter of roasted peppers, sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, and ripe olives, all drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil. Finish this effortless meal with chewy sweet dried figs, small chunks of a good chocolate, and a few sips of your favorite dessert wine.
There are hundreds of variations of pasta e fagioli all over Italy and in Italian-American communities. Our version of this hearty comfort food is rather simple and features the tonic sharpness of bitter greens and lemon.
1. Chard, escarole, or spinach may be substituted for the curly endive.