Pasta e Fagioli and Easter Menu Plan

One of the recipes that was a constant at our dinner table when I was growing up is Pasta e Fagioli or pasta and beans.  You may have heard this dish called pasta fazool but my family calls it pasta e fasuor (pronounced pasta e fazuor).

Pasta e Fagioli | Bakewell Junction

You may be accustomed to seeing Pasta e Fagioli recipes as a soup but our family recipe is not a soup.  It’s a hearty and satisfying meal for any time of year.  We also don’t use the cannellini beans but rather great northern beans.  You can substitute with cannellini beans, if you prefer.

So, where do you store your dried beans after opening the package?  I store them in a re-purposed glass jelly jar.

Most of our family doesn’t eat it regularly like we used to, so I made it for Palm Sunday dinner when my family and my hubby’s family came to over celebrate.

Want a bite?

Here are some of the other dishes I made for Palm Sunday that would be perfect for your Easter Sunday dinner.  For some reason I always forget to serve at least one thing and this time it was the brownies.

Appetizers:
Homemade Mozzarella
Homemade Pizza
Prosciutto Bread (a.k.a. Lard Bread)
Pizza Rustica (a.k.a. Pizza Chiena)
Roasted PeppersPrimi Piatti:
Manicotti
Pasta e Fagioli
Secondo Piatti:
Roasted Goose
Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana
Gravy Meat (stew meat, braciole, meatballs and sweet Italian sausages)
Contorni (Side Dishes):
Oven Roasted Broccoli
Dolci:
Easter Bread
Chocolate Babka
Brownies (Ghirardelli box mix)

Enjoy!

Pasta e Fagioli

Yield:  4 servings                 Cook Time:  90 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb dried great northern beans (about 1 mug or 1 1/2 cups); alternative, 2 15 ounce cans great northern beans, rinsed
  
• 3 to 4 cups water
• 3 to 5 cloves of garlic
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 pound dry pasta, a small pasta like Ditalini, Mezzo Ditali or Tubettini, prepared
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups meatless gravy (a.k.a. marinara) or meat gravy
• grated cheese for sprinkling

Step 1:  Soak all beans in 3 – 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon baking soda overnight in a sauce pot; then drain and rinse well (rinse at least 3 times).

Step 2:  Replace 3 – 4 cups water and add 2 teaspoons salt.  Bring beans to a boil and then lower heat to simmer.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.  Add peeled garlic cloves after piercing with toothpicks (so they float and are easier to pick out).  Cook until beans are tender.  Remove garlic cloves before they start to fall apart.  Set aside.

Step 3:  Prepare pasta as per package directions and drain.  Add pasta and gravy to beans and return to heat on low.  Stir frequently and heat a few minutes until heated through.  Serve

Tips:  Keeps refrigerated for a few days.

Enjoy!!!

Family recipe.

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