Try this Pasta Fagioli recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 15.93970601293 g
- Cholesterol 5.65 mg
- Fat 5.76219377776 g
- Fiber 3.91713652317465 g
- Protein 4.73114212688 g
- Saturated Fat 1.60818678968 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (431g)
- Sodium 390.567593444 mg
- Sugar 12.0225694897554 g
- Trans Fat 0.407113945828001 g
- Calories 121 calories
Step-by-step
- Saute garlic in olive oil, add tomatoes, salt and pepper; simmer 15 minutes.
- Add oregano and cannellini beans, simmer 10 minutes longer.
- Add cooked ditalini and some reserved cooking liquid, if needed; stir.
- Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Serve wih grated cheese and red pepper flakes to taste.
Starch management separates a cohesive bowl of pasta fagioli from a watery soup with floating ingredients. Draining pasta completely before combining it with a simmering tomato and bean base strips away the surface starches required to bind the liquids into a unified sauce. Retaining one cup of pasta cooking water provides the necessary amylose molecules to emulsify the olive oil and crushed tomatoes, bridging the gap between distinct components. Simmering minced garlic in four tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat for roughly two minutes releases aromatics without scorching the compounds into bitterness. Crushed tomatoes require a full fifteen-minute simmer to drive off raw water content and concentrate natural sugars before the canned cannellini beans enter the pan. Adding the cannellini beans too early causes their skins to rupture completely, dissolving their interiors and muddying the broth instead of maintaining a pleasant contrast against the firm ditalini. Cooking the ditalini firmly ensures the tubular pasta survives the final ten-minute simmer and five-minute resting window without degrading into mush. Allowing the assembled dish to rest off the heat for exactly five minutes lets the pasta absorb sufficient liquid to swell slightly while dropping the serving temperature to a point where flavors register clearly on the palate. Grated cheese added at the table introduces extra proteins and fats that react with residual heat to thicken the final spoonfuls. Red pepper flakes provide capsaicin heat that cuts through the rich density of the olive oil and bean starches.
