Pasta e Fasule
Recipes our colleagues swear at by
Paul D'AmbraPasta e Fasule, as made by my Neapolitan Nonna Luisa. Pasta e Fasule is Neapolitan for Pasta e Fagiole which is Italian for Pasta and Beans. Pasta and bean soup reminds me of being looked after when recovering from an illness as a kid. I like it so thick the spoon will stand up.
Ingredients
- 400g broken spaghetti and pasta
- 2 tins cannellini beans, washed and drained
- 3 or 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 5 tablespoons olive oil (approx)
- 10 cherry tomatoes (optional)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Method
- 1
Put oil in a pan, fry garlic till blond not brown.
- 2
If you have tomatoes, add them to the pan. If not, you can add a quarter of a tin of chopped tomatoes or leave them out entirely.
- 3
Cook with garlic & oil for about 5 minutes.
- 4
Add beans, stir, and cook all together for 5 minutes.
- 5
Cover with water—2 fingers above the beans. Add salt & pepper to taste.
- 6
Cook for 20 minutes.
- 7
Add pasta, stir, and cook till pasta is soft. Stir often to stop pasta sticking to bottom of the pan.
- 8
If it goes dry, add more water. I like it thicker—some people like it thinner.
- 9
When cooked, cover with lid and leave for 10-15 minutes to rest so pasta absorbs the sauce.
Chef's Notes
You can use odds and ends of pasta or break spaghetti in. When my dad was little he'd be sent to the pasta shop to get their broken odds and ends—they were cheaper.