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Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta & Beans Soup) with Beef & Vegetables


Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta & Beans Soup) with Beef & Vegetables

Pasta e Fagioli. The name sounds posh. I google it up and learn that pasta e fagioli means pasta and beans soup.
I always love this sort of one-pot pasta soups and stews. They are the epitome of comfort food.

I've cooked these before: Double Cheese Pasta Stew and Chicken & Vegetables Cheesy Pasta Stew.

Over here at I Heart Cooking Clubs, it's Pot Luck week and we can choose to cook anything from these chefs: Diana Henry, Nigella Lawson, Mark Bittman, Giada de Laurentiis, Jamie Oliver, Tessa Kiros, Rick Bayless, Madjur Jaffrey, Yotam Ottolenghi, Donna Hay, and Nigel Slater.

Last month's pot luck, I cooked Giada's Hearty Meatball Stew for Christmas eve dinner. It was good! This month, I cook Giada's Pasta e Fagioli. I really love her family-oriented Italian dishes. Most importantly, my 17-month toddler loves pasta dishes!


Recipe adapted from here. 

Ingredients:
(Serves 6)

Note: My modifications in orange.

4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 ounces pancetta, chopped (I used beef slices)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
5 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used beef broth)
2 (14.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannellini beans)

3 cups mixed chopped vegetables (potato, carrot, red & green bell pepper, celery, leek, shiitake mushrooms)
3/4 cup elbow macaroni (I used small shell pasta & animal-shaped pasta)
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional (omitted)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (omitted)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
 


How to: 

1. Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed with kitchen twine.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and beef and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes.

Note: I used a slow cooker and here's what I did. After stir-frying over the stove, I transferred the beef, onion, and garlic into a slow cooker and add broth, beans, vegetables, and sachet of herbs. Then I covered the slow cooker and switched on High mode for two hours until the vegetables became very tender. The herbs sachet was discarded at this point. Cooking resumed for another 1.5 hours.

3. Add pasta and simmer for another 30-45 minutes. Season the soup with ground black pepper.

4. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.

All the healthy ingredients in one pot.

These are the small vegetable shell pasta I used.

I love their colors!

Adding the pasta.

Adding the animal-shaped pasta.





I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) for this week's theme, January Pot Luck!


Photobucket

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up (January 2015 Event: Pasta / Noodles) organized by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids), Doreen (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Anne (My Bare Cupboard).


20 comments

  1. I love Giada's soups and have made her pasta e fagioli before--so comforting and good. I like the fun pasta you used--your toddler must have been in pasta heaven! ;-)

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    Replies
    1. Hahaha Deb, I love the phrase pasta heaven! Yes, he has been to pasta heaven, I believe. :)

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  2. Colourful and appealing ! This healthy one pot pasta dish must be yummy-licious ^-^!

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  3. Hi Joyce,

    I love one post meals... It makes my life very easy :p

    This pasta bean soup looks very hearty!

    Btw, regarding the question you asked at my raspberry sour cream muffins post, you can substitute raspberries with fresh or frozen blueberries or cranberries. Not sure about cherries but I think it should be ok too. Your little one is not eating fresh cherries... pass them over to us. We love fresh cherries a lot!!! Saw our bank statement and saw that we have spent $300 last month just for cherries!!!

    Zoe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I can courier the cherries to you!!! Now I'm stuck with ONE KILO of cherries in the fridge. :P

      Gotta find recipes to "get rid" of 'em cherries. Hahaha.

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  4. Joyce , the name sounds posh indeed :D You can never have too much pasta in one dish and they certainly add more color and texture ! The result looks hearty and for sure , delicious !

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  5. What a delicious looking 1-pot meal. You've made it so much more than pasta and beans with all of those lovely vegetables added in.

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  6. I love pasta e fagioli - one of my favourites - it's so hearty and comforting, especially in the depths of winter. Love all the cute pasta you used too.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Sue! Yeah, I'm in pasta heaven too, like my toddler. :)

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  7. Hi Joyce,
    Delicious one pot pasta meal! I'm sure my kids would love this too! I like Giada's recipes too!

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  8. That looks and sounds so satisfying! And thanks for the details about using a slow cooker -- I'm still rather mystified by mine!

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    Replies
    1. Welcome! But do read up your slow cooker's manual as well in case different manufacturer has different set of instructions. :)

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  9. My family also loves Giada's family-oriented recipes. Every one of her recipes is always a hit with my family. This pasta e fagioli looks so comforting and delicious, not to mention SO FUN with the animal shapes! I bet your daughter really loves the animal shaped pasta:)

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  10. Pasta e fagioli is a favorite soup in my house and I love that you worked in the slow cooker.

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