Italian Pasta and Bean Soup—Pasta e Fagioli

Name: Italian Pasta and Bean Soup—Pasta e Fagioli
Yield: Serves 8 to 10 (Makes about 4 quarts)
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon, extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling; 3 ounces, pancetta or bacon, chopped fine; 1 , medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup); 1 medium rib, celery, chopped fine (about 2/3 cup); 4 medium cloves, garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 heaping tablespoon); 1 teaspoon, dried oregano; 1/4 teaspoon, red pepper flakes; 3 , anchovy fillets, minced to paste (about 1 teaspoon); , 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with liquid; , Parmesan cheese rind, one piece about 5 inches by 2 inches, discarded prior to serving; 2 , cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed; 3 1/2 cups, low-sodium chicken broth; 1 teaspoon, table salt; 8 ounces, orzo or other small pasta (ditalini, tubettini, conchigliette); 1/4 cup, chopped fresh parsley leaves; 2 ounces, grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

74 comments

Appears in Cook's Illustrated March/April 2003, America's Test Kitchen TV

The American version of pasta e fagioli is often bland and mushy and takes hours to prepare. We wanted it all: great flavor and proper texture in less than an hour.

SERVES8 to 10 (Makes about 4 quarts)

TIME1 hour

has video

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

To develop a pasta and bean soup recipe with great flavor and proper texture in less than an hour, we cooked some bacon and pancetta and then cooked our vegetables in the rendered fat. We discovered other quick flavor boosters: Adding the t...

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