Italian Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe

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I have been raised on this sensational Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe all my life! I still can't get enough of it.

Fagioli e fagioli is still one of my favorite Italian family recipes . The name itself means "Pasta and Beans".

Of course we never used canned beans, always the dried Romano beans that my Dad grew. He would cook the beans for a couple of hours in water, with a couple pieces of side pork, salt and chopped onions. I could just eat the Romano beans like that bowl after bowl! Then he would add the beans and the broth they were cooked in, to the Fagioli.

Besides using homegrown Romano Beans, one more difference is that we never added smokies, sausages or any meat for that matter to our pasta fagioli. That is how I still prefer it! Subsequently, that's why I cook the sausages separately. Once again, I have to add meat to another recipe for my Carnivorous husband. lol

Italian Pasta Fagioli Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups dried Romano beans
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 - 1/2 tsp salt
Bean Preparation:
  1. Cover dried beans with lots of water.
  2. Add salt and 1/2 onion.
  3. Cover beans and bring to a boil, then turn down to medium low heat. Cook approx 2 hrs or till tender depending on the bean.
  4. Check occasionally that water does not evaporate.
  5. Add more water if needed.

OR: 1 - 19 oz can Romano beans (Garbanzo beans or pinto beans) can be used as a substitute.

Fagioli Sauce

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (cover bottom of pot)
  • 1 tbsp. oregano
  • 1 tbsp. basil
  • 3 tbsp. garlic powder
  • 1 48 oz. can tomato juice
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp. Romano cheese or Parmesan cheese

  • 2 cups rotini or penne pasta cook al dente, rinse and set aside

Optional:3 or 4 spicy chorizo smokies (I get those from my local meat shop) or Italian sausages cut in rounds.
Pan fry separately in 1 tbsp olive oil.

Preparation:
  1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot.
  2. Add basil and oregano to oil and fry until spices start to brown.
  3. Quickly add garlic powder and fry 30 seconds just until garlic powder is golden. Careful not to burn!
  4. Add tomato juice and chicken broth, salt and Romano cheese.
  5. Simmer on low for 10 minutes.
  6. Add Romano beans
  7. Simmer on low for 5 more minutes.
  8. Add spicy chorizo sausages if using.
  9. Put serving size warm pasta in bowl and ladle fagioli sauce and beans on top.
  10. Serve hot with generous amount of grated Romano or parmesan cheese.

Note: Too much pasta soaks up all the juice, therefore I keep pasta and soup broth separate until serving, including any leftovers.

Prep time: 10 min. Add 1 to 2 hrs if cooking dry beans. (depends on the bean, cook till tender)
Cook time: 30 min.
Serves: 6
Live Long and Mangia!

Health Benefits: Beans contain a variety of vitamins and minerals including calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and folate. They are considered a vegetable, but contain the valuable protein that is often associated with meat.


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