My wife and I have some very different childhood experiences, like, I just got to experience my first snowstorm in January of 2017, she grew up in them. These differences are more obvious when we discuss our favorite childhood meals, her mother held a deep disdain for any food that wasn’t scratch made, some of her strongest memories are of her mothers kitchen filled with loved ones, both friends and family, making pasta from scratch while the days gravy simmers on the stove, filling the house with the smells of garlic and tomato. Conversely, I grew up on Kraft mac and cheese, Rice A Roni, and jarred pasta sauce. I often find myself jealous of her childhood meals.
One of her favorite cold weather meals is pasta fagioli, it’s warm and filling and a deliciously nourishing thing to eat while watching the snow fall. The longer we are together, the more meals she shares with me and the more jealous I get of the food she grew up on. Every so often, she shares something new with me, this recipe is one of my favorites (that and fresh pasta, she held out on me for 10 years with the fresh pasta, my wife’s long game is STRONG, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with at year 20). The one thing I will say about this is that you can’t make a lot of it ahead unless you seriously under cook the pasta. This is best eaten the day it’s made or at most the next. This is also tastier if you make the stock from scratch but if you don’t have any scratch stock be sure to use a stock that isn’t low fat or low salt, the fat carries flavor and definitely makes a difference in the taste at the end.
This recipe is based on one from Errens Kitchen, she has some lovely recipes and this one is evidently very similar to the one my wife grew up on.
Enjoy! TKW
Pasta Fagioli
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Olive OIl
- 4 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
- 3 Large Carrots, Chopped
- 3 Celery Stalks, Chopped
- 1 Large Yellow Onion, Chopped
- 1 14oz Can Pureed Tomatoes
- 4 Large Firm, Fresh Tomatoes, Smell Them, You Want Them To Be Fragrant
- 1 Quart Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- 2 Cans Cannelloni Beans
- 1 Can Kidney Beans
- 1 (3 inch) Piece Parmesan or Pecorino Rind (optional)
- 1 1/4 Cup Small Pasta (ie Shells)
- 1/2 Bunch Flat Leaf Parsley, Chopped
- 1 Drop Young Living Taste Of Italy Essential Oil
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Instructions
- Add the drop of essential oil to 2 Tbsp olive oil and set aside.
- Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a large stock pot, the cook the onion, carrot and celery until soft.
- Add the garlic and cook another minute.
- Pour in the stock, 1 can of cannelloni beans, along with the liquid, the cheese rind, the tomatoes and the tomato puree, bring to a boil.
- Puree or mash the 2nd can of cannelloni beans with a little liquid from the can then add it to the pot. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to low and let simmer 1-2 hours, stir occaisionally.
- Remove from heat, remove the cheese rind and discard.
- Add the pasta, kidney beans, parsley, the essential oil enriched olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook until pasta is al dente, add more water if the soup becomes too thick.
- Serve hot, with grated cheese and chopped parsley.