PASTA FAGIOLI

Or, is it Pasta Fagiole….or, Pasta Fazool? However you choose to call it, it is one of the best and most popular soups that “eats like a meal”. It’s Pasta and Beans!

If you have had Olive Garden’s Pasta Fagiole, you know that their version is pretty good. Hearty…tomato-y…full of beans and pasta. But, making your own is so easy. You will find many recipes for Pasta Fagiole, but this is one I have developed over the years that closely mimics The Olive Garden version.

One suggestion for you is to hold off adding the cooked ditalini until service. In other words, if you cook the pasta in the soup, it is going to absorb a lot of liquid…sometimes too much liquid. Then, it becomes a stew. So I suggest cooking your pasta just before serving, then add it to each bowl. And in reality, the O.G. does it this way. They add cooked ditalini to each 1 gallon soup container when it is brought to the line. How do I know? I was a Kitchen Manager with O.G. for 3 years.

Another suggestion for the cook is to place all the vegetables and the pancetta in a food processor at the start. I found this when trick when making ribolitta, a Tuscan postage made with bread and vegetables. If you want your Pasta Fagiole more chunky, eliminate the food processor step and just dice the veggies.

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces of pancetta, 1/4 inch dice

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage or lean ground beef

• 1 cup carrots, rough chop

• 1 cup yellow onions, rough chop

• 1 cup celery, rough chop

• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled

• Olive oil

• 1 tsp Kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1 (28 ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed with your hands

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1/2 cup Bloody Mary mix (I use Mr and Mrs T’s)

• 1 tsp herbes de provence

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 1 bay leaf

• 4 cups chicken stock

• 1 (14 ounce) can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 (14 ounce) can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

• 8 ounces of ditalini, cooked

Directions:

• Place the pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a food processor and process on low until the veggies and pancetta is minced. Eliminate this step and just diced the veggies if you want it chunky.

• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add about 1/4 cup of olive oil. When the oil is hot add the pancetta and veggies and start to saute, stirring. Cook for about 4-5 minutes. Add the ground beef and continue to cook, stirring and chopping with your spoon until the ground beef is no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

• Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, Bloody Mary mix, herbes de provence, red pepper flakes, sugar, bay leaf, and stock. Bring to a simmer, stirring. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn on the bottom.

• Add the beans and stir in. Bring back to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

• Add the chopped parsley and grated parmesan. Taste and reseason if necessary.

• Serve in bowls adding some cooked ditalini to each bowl. Garnish with more parmesan.