As you may already know, we are Italians! However, what you might not know is that we are from Tuscany, a region of Italy renowned all over the globe for its art, its countryside, and most importantly, its delicious food. Pasta e fagioli is certainly a dish of the tradition, and although it may or may not ring a bell with you, don’t be in any way fooled by the simplicity of its name, as this dish can rock your world in a whole lot of ways! This is another of those recipes that is prepared in minutes, is super-healthy, and, most importantly, it tastes out of this world, so I can only recommend that you give it a try as quickly as you can, just to make sure that you take a bite before the idea that “a dish called pasta and beans cannot be good” starts to sneak into your thoughts. Buon appetito!
- Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, add in the garlic, the carrots and the onions, and gently fry them until translucent and slightly browned (about 5 minutes).
- Add in the sage and bay leaves, the beans, and salt and pepper to taste. Add in the cooking liquid from the beans, or water, and the tomato concentrate, and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.
- Blend the ingredients into a smooth sauce, and season to taste.
- Cook the pasta in a pan of salted water until al dente.
- Pour a generous layer of bean sauce into a pasta dish, add the pasta onto the sauce, and serve with olive oil and black pepper, if liked.
- Any kind of bean will work with this recipe, but Italian beans like borlotti or cannellini yield a more authentic result.
