Pasta e Fagioli alla Calabrese
A hearty Calabrian bean soup cooked with short pasta, sweet red onion, and fragrant dried sweet peppers in a rich, starchy broth.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 490 kcal
Equipment
- •heavy saucepan or terracotta pot
- •wooden spoon
- •ladle
- •chef knife
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 490 kcal
- fat
- 14 g
- carbs
- 74 g
- fibre
- 11 g
- protein
- 17 g
- calories
- 490 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Warm 40 ml of olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.
- 2
Add the chopped onion and garlic clove to the warm oil.
- 3
Cook gently for six minutes until the onion is soft, translucent, and sweet.
- 4
Stir in the chopped dried sweet peppers and chilli flakes.
- 5
Sauté for thirty seconds until the dried peppers turn glossy and fragrant.
- 6
Discard the garlic clove using a slotted spoon.
- 7
Pour in the cooked beans along with 500 ml of their cooking broth and the bay leaf.
- 8
Crush half a ladle of beans against the pot wall to create a thick, velvety base.
- 9
Bring the broth to a rolling simmer and season with fine sea salt.
- 10
Add the ditalini pasta directly into the simmering broth.
- 11
Cook for nine minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking, adding extra hot water if too thick.
- 12
Rest off the heat for five minutes, then ladle into warm bowls and drizzle with remaining raw olive oil.
Chef's tips
Always cook the pasta directly in the bean broth so its starch emulsifies into a creamy sauce. Keep a kettle of boiling water nearby to loosen the soup if the pasta absorbs the liquid too quickly. Ensure the dried sweet peppers do not burn during the initial fry, as scorched pepper turns bitter instantly.
Ingredient substitutions
- dried sweet peppers → sweet Spanish smoked or unsmoked paprika flakes (1 tablespoon)
- borlotti beans → cannellini beans or cranberry beans
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat, stirring in a splash of boiling water to loosen the thickened starch.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Burning the dried sweet peppers by frying them over fierce heat.
- •Boiling the pasta separately, which produces a thin, watery broth instead of a rich, cohesive soup.
- •Letting the pot sit without stirring, causing the pasta to stick and scorch at the bottom.
Serving suggestions
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