Ciao Bellos and Bellas!
This recipe is for all of you whose lives are just a bit busy, as you can cheat, using good quality pre-prepared broth and beans or create everything from scratch. The choice is yours! As fall rolls in, I find myself craving the soups I grew up on. Pasta Fagioli soup – bean and pasta – a staple in Central, Southern Italian homes. It’s healthy, warm, and fills your soul.
Chicken, beans, greens and pasta soup. If you’re soaking your beans overnight and cooking them the next day, here are a few easy tips. Make sure they’re well covered by water when you soak them, 3 to 4 inches. The same goes when you’re boiling them. DO NOT Salt the water until your beans are essentially cooked, al dente, then add the salt and finish cooking. If you add salt at the begging your beans will remain hard. Also, remember to season your water with bay leaf, and garlic for extra flavour. If using canned beans I look to beans that only contain salt as a preservative and NO chemicals. A touch of Citric Acid is ok, but I still prefer none.
I use low sodium organic chicken broth as I like to salt to finish. What can I say? It’s the cook in me. Of course Home Made Chicken broth is the best but it does require time. I’ll look at giving you my recipe in a future blog.
Start by sautéing minced parsley, and minced garlic, in Olive Oil. I sauté the garlic and parsley on medium high and as soon as the garlic starts to brown I lower it to Medium and then add greens(spinach here.) Add two to three cups of your favorite bean. I used Borlotti beans but cannelini work well too. Cook them until you start to hear the oil crackle but don’t let them burn. You may have to keep stirring or lower the heat to achieve the desired effect.
Add your broth. You can play with quantities of broth depending on how thick or thin you want the soup to be. Add grated parmesan or pecorino cheese and old cheese rinds, if you have them, for extra flavour. You can turn the heat back up to Medium High and let your soup come to a rolling boil. When it has boiled for minimum 5 minutes break your favorite spaghetti into the soup and boil it until al dente. Serve it with some nice home-made bread. Easy, tasty, and healthy Italian peasant cooking. Just like me!
Try it, share it, sign-up for my monthly recipe but most importantly always remember to #EatwiththoseyouLove TM
Peter aka Pasta Boy Peter