Marco posted this Pasta Fagioli recipe on Instagram one Sunday night and the whole office was drooling over it Monday morning. To our surprise, he walked in with leftovers and we all had Pasta Fagioli for breakfast. Don’t overthink it, just make this immediately.
- 1 box of ditalini pasta
- 1 lb of dried barlotti beans (soak in the fridge for 2 days prior or use cans)
- 1.5 tbsp fresh sage, chopped plus one bunch
- 1.5 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced plus one head of garlic
- 24 oz of hearth Brodo broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 lb pancetta, cut into one-inch pieces
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 cup + more for serving Parmesan
- 2 pads Butter
1. Cover pre-soaked beans with fresh water by 2 inches. Add one head of garlic + one bunch sage. Bring to boil-lower to a very soft simmer. Cook until beans are very soft and creamy. Timing varies wildly, approximately 2 – 4+ hours. Stir gently a couple of times an hour. Salt around half waypoint. You want the bean liquid to taste delicious.
2. In 2 tbsp of EVOO render and brown pancetta over low/medium heat.
3. In the meantime, slice garlic, dice onions, and chop sage and rosemary.
4. Once pancetta gives up its glorious fat and some brown bits form on the pan add onions and fry over med/high heat for about 3-5 minutes stirring frequently.
5. Add sliced garlic. Cook 2 minutes then add heaping 2 tbsp tomato paste and chopped herbs. Stir well and lower heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
6. Pour in 22 oz of hearth Brodo broth and half of the cooked beans. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.
7. Puree the other half of the beans with some of their liquid. It should be the consistency of pancake batter. Add bean puree to the pan and simmer for another 10 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted water until very al dente and add cooked pasta to your pan.
9. Pull out the pancetta with a fork or tongs, as it gave up all its flavor. If you wish to leave it in, chop it smaller in the beginning.
10. Add a cup of grated parm, two pats of butter, and lots of black pepper. Toss, toss, toss over the heat. If it seems dry add some bean liquid and/or pasta water.
11. Top with parmesan and serve!
To see it all go down check out Marco’s instagram highlights here.
