Wednesday Food Blogging: Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta e Fagioli, pasta with white beans, gives new meaning to "white meal".

Continuing with the Italian theme this week. (Irish food, trust me, is nothing to blog about.) Here's one of my favorite quick and easy pasta dishes, a nice change from spaghetti and meatballs. Or lentil balls, as Chez Flake has served from time to time.

I first saw the recipe in a Seventh Day Adventist cookbook I bought from a door-to-door saleslady. (I said no to the tracts, but the cookbook looked less evangelical. Until I tried this recipe, then I was a convert.) The ingredients are found in most any cupboard, and since it's a thirty-minute or less meal, it's nice to make when you've been out all day and have hungry houseguests to feed. (I've made the same thing with dried beans, but they tend to be starchier. Save yourself the trouble.)

Don't be afraid of the amount of garlic involved. You only live once, and much longer if you eat this much garlic every day. You may also have seen this recipe elsewhere, with lots more ingredients. Don't bother with that either; this is simple and satisfying. Serve with brocolli rabe if you have it, and white wine.

Pasta e Fagioli

1 lb vermicelli or angel hair pasta, cooked
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
10 garlic cloves, minced (yes, that’s 10!)
4 cups canned or cooked cannelloni beans or white beans, undrained
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Rosemary for garnish

In a large skillet, sauté onion in olive oil until the onion is lightly browned. Add garlic and cook gently for an additional 2 minutes, but do not brown. Add beans with liquid and return to a boil. Lower temperature and simmer for 5 minutes, adding water if necessary to maintain a juicy consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve over pasta, with a sweet sprig of rosemary on top.

Half this recipe serves two people nicely, by the way.

Comments

[Claire]

That sounds fantastic! Thanks for the recipe!

[Foodie]

Guess you are feeling better?? This dish makes me extremely hungry...love it.
I am toodling around New England with an old friend. A rich mushroom soup "bisque" yesterday eaten at The Storm Cafe in Middlebury, VT brought tears to my eyes, yes indeedy it was swell.
I could be sheep blogging as well had I a camera..sheesh. Check out www.shelburnefarms.org. ( outside Burlington, VT.)

[barbwire]

Strangely, this post reminded me of a wacky line in a Three Stooges flick where some guy says "Imposter, imposter, im pastafjool." Brains are odd things. I don't even like the Stooges, but I did bear witness to many of their olden films thanks to my brother hijacking the TV.

Glad you seem to be feeling better!

[ae]

KathyF, I want to dive face first into that right now. My mouth is literally watering. Thanks!! This is going to move high up on our list of quick summer dishes.

(And great note re: evangelical/convert. Ha!)

[KathyF]

Claire: Glad you like it! More every Wednesday....

Foodie: I envy you. New England is first on my list when I return to the States.

Barbwire: Feeling better, yes thanks, but you have a wicked brother to make you watch the Stooges.

ae: Never dive into shallow pasta.

[barbwire]

My brother made me watch Mighty Mouse too, when we could have been watching My Friend Flicka....

[Alex]

I saw this, and I did it on Friday night, using red onion (there wasn't any other onion), fresh parsley and a little chicken stock (but no white wine 'cos there wasn't any of that). Damn good it was too.

[dudewheresthestove]

Hi. Thanks for posting this recipe. I have made this dish at least five times since reading your post. And of course, I had to refer to it on my blog. What is the fantastic savoriness that happens? Is it the beans?