Seasonal Sensations · Italian
The classic Italian peasant soup
Not really a soup, not quite a pasta. Thick, starchy, richly flavored, impossibly cheap to make, and somehow more satisfying than most things that cost ten times as much.
Prep
15 min
Cook
40 min
Serves
4 to 6
Difficulty
Easy
Base
Beans and pasta
To finish
Warm a heavy pot with olive oil over low heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot with a pinch of salt. Cook very slowly for 20 minutes until completely soft and golden.
Add the garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, and chili flakes. Cook for 2 minutes.
Drain one can of beans. Add both cans, the tomatoes crushed by hand, and the stock. Simmer 20 minutes.
Remove rosemary and bay. Blend about a third of the soup in the pot using a stick blender.
Bring to a rolling simmer, add pasta, and cook until al dente, stirring frequently.
Ladle into bowls, finish with olive oil and black pepper. Eat immediately.
Origin story
Pasta e fagioli is one of Italy's oldest continuous recipes, appearing in Roman texts. For most of Italian history it was peasant food. The version that matters is always the one your grandmother made.