Recipes
Cantella's Classics
Pasta E Fagioli With Sausage
Serve this to a REAL Italian and watch how fast you become part of the family!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of small white beans
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 11/2 cups of onion (coarsely chopped)
- 3 slices of lean bacon (finely chopped)
- 1/3 cup of celery (chopped)
- 1/2 cup of carrots (grated)
- 1 tablespoon of crushed or chopped garlic
- 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1 pound of fresh Italian sausage (removed from the casings)
- 1 cup of fresh, ripe tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon of fresh Italian parsley (chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon of sage
- 7 cups of chicken broth
- 11/2 cups pasta (small shells are recommended here)
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Parmesan or Romano cheese (grated)
Directions
The Day Before Serving:
- Soak the beans in three to four cups of water. Let stand overnight.
The Day Of Serving:
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large stock pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion and bacon and cook for about six to eight minutes.
- Add the celery, carrots, garlic, basil and oregano and continue to cook for about two or three minutes.
- Add the Italian sausage and continue cooking all of the ingredients for about eight minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to crumble sausage.
- Add the beans, tomatoes, parsley, sage, and six cups of the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for about one and one-half hours, or until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Remove two cups of the soup and purée in a blender until smooth.
- Stir the purée back into the soup. Add the remaining cup of chicken broth and continue to cook, bringing the soup to a boil.
- Add the pasta as well as salt and pepper to taste, and continue to cook at a slow boil for about twelve to fourteen minutes, until the pasta is tender.
- Serve hot and top with grated cheese.