Pasta with beans
Complexity: easily
Servings: 8
Calories 523, total fat 14 G., saturated fats 5 G., proteins 23 G., carbohydrates 78 G., fiber 11 G., cholesterol 16 mg, sodium 475 mg, sugar 3 G.
"My mom's pasta with beans is one of my favorite home-cooked meals. We often had it for dinner," recalls food stylist Vince Camillo, the recipe's author, "because it's a great way to use up leftover pasta. Mom would add rigatoni, ziti, penne, shells—any pasta shape that would hold the sauce well and pair well with the beans. What I found especially magical about it all was that she'd sort the beans the night before, and it's so impressive to have dinner with something that took two days to cook! The dish evolved over the years as ingredients became more readily available in supermarkets. A more traditional addition would be Italian pancetta, but I still remember the beans with their crispy, fried-fat flavor."
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.
Ingredients for the recipe:
- 450 g dry white beans, such as cannellini
- 110 g of salted lard, rinsed, dried and cut into pieces
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 450 g of mixed pasta in various shapes, such as rigatoni, penne rigate, or shells
- Pecorino Romano cheese, for sprinkling
We recommend
Cooking the dish according to the recipe:
- The day before cooking, sort the beans and discard any small, cracked, or shriveled ones. Place the beans in a saucepan or jar large enough to cover them with at least 7 cm of water. Leave the beans in a cool place or in the refrigerator overnight to plump up.
- The next day, drain the beans in a colander, reserving the liquid. Then transfer the beans to a medium saucepan with enough water to cover by at least 2 inches (5 cm), about from your fingertip to your knuckle. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam, until the beans are tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Add more water if necessary to keep the beans submerged in liquid. When the beans are done, turn off the heat, add 1.5 teaspoons of salt, and stir; set aside.
- Place the lard in a medium saucepan, heat over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 12 minutes. Remove the lard from the pan and discard. Retain only 2 tablespoons of fat; drain the rest. Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook until darkened, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the bean cooking water and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the beans, add them to the pan, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Add as many types of pasta as you like, as long as the cooking time is within 2 minutes (+/-). Drain the pasta in a colander, discarding 2 cups of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot, add the beans with their liquid, and the pasta cooking water. Season with 2-3 teaspoons of black pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and grate some Pecorino cheese on top, if using.
Author of the recipe - food stylist Vince Camillo
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