Who loves "Pasta e Fagioli" ? Here's the recipe ! Enjoy ! :)

[elleng]

(from FB; not MY recipe)

Ingredients:
1 (32 oz.) can of Crushed Tomatoes
1 small can of Tomato sauce (14 oz.)
1 Sweet Vidalia Onion, chopped
9 cloves Garlic, sliced thin
1 can (14 oz.) of Cannellini Beans
1 can (14 oz.) of Butter Beans
1 can (14 oz.) of Dark Red Kidney
1 can (14 oz.) of Chick Peas
10 oz. of thick cut lean Prosciutto, diced
1 pound Ditalini pasta
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cups low sodium Chicken Broth
1-2 cups of Arugula
Sea Salt & Pepper to taste
Fresh chopped Parsley
Fresh Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:
1. Sauté onion, garlic and prosciutto in the olive oil for 4-5 minutes on medium heat, till onion begins to soften and prosciutto begins to brown...
2. Add crushed tomatoes and sauce and cover, reducing heat to a simmer...
3. Meanwhile rinse off canned beans in a colander, then add to the pot—simmering for 20 minutes...
4. While the soup simmers; bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta till al dente, follow the box directions...
5. Reserve 1 cup of pasta liquid and drain; then add pasta & reserved cooking liquid to the beans and sauce mixture, stirring on low heat...
6. Add salt, pepper, parsley and arugula to the pot; adjusting the salt or pepper to personal tastes, also add 2-3 tablespoons grated cheese at this time and mix well...
7. Let stand on low heat for 5-10 minutes to meld flavors; if it's too thick you may add some Chicken broth, a little at a time, to reach your desired consistency...
8. Serve while hot with crusty Italian bread and butter...

Notes:
1. I like to mix and match beans, sometimes using Roman or pink, small or large white etc—use what you enjoy best and be creative...
2. When I make Pasta e Fagioli; I prefer it nice & thick, then watery like a soup—an usually serve it as my main meal with hot crusty buttered bread and more grated cheese on the side...
3. Greens are optional, I'll occasionally add Arugula or fresh chopped Escarole for color and flavor—you could also mix the two, or add some chard or kale even but be careful it doesn't change the flavor to much....

[Warpy]

1. Fancy

I've always made mine with plain old dried Navy beans. Whatever else you put into it, the two ingredients not to be stingy with are garlic and Parmesan. I've always cooked the beans with the garlic and added more at the end when I've sauteed whatever veg I'm putting into it. It always thickens nicely when the pasta goes in.

Like you, I use it as a main dish with a salad and some garlic toast. As I said, you can't have too much garlic in this one.

[LeftofObama]

2. Thanks for posting this. I made it for dinner tonight.

I guess I didn't think it would make so much, so I'll be eating it for a few days. I have to say it was delicious!

[elleng]

3. Glad it was delicious!

It did look like a 'big' recipe to me, but I wasn't counting.

[LeftofObama]

4. I gave some to my mom and sister and still have a bunch left over.

I'll definitely be making this again, but next time I'll cut it in half.

[trof]

5. 'At's a lotta beans.

Butter beans?
I've never seen a can of "Butter Beans".
I think it's a southern colloquialism.
Maybe "Baby Limas"?

[msanthrope]

6. You forgot the secret ingredient...cheese rind. Otherwise, not a bad recipe. nt