A dish of pasta and beans, Italian comfort food! A richly colored and hearty soup with floating pieces of vegetables and spices that emit an inviting aroma. This dish conveys a sense of comfort and warmth because it’s a delicious and satisfying meal. The simple ingredients that compose it are perfectly balanced to provide us with all the nutrients we need.
The beans, which are the base of the preparation, are very nutritious, low in fat, and high in protein. They are an excellent source of fiber that aids the feeling of fullness and stimulates the metabolism. There are many varieties of beans, and for this recipe, I chose cannellini beans. You can buy frozen, fresh, or dried beans. I used dried beans, which have longer cooking times and require a soaking period of about 12 hours. However, they are very convenient to always have in the pantry, they keep for a long time, and you can have them available throughout the year.
To prepare this tasty soup, you can use whichever beans you prefer, and you can also replace cannellini beans with borlotti beans. In the preparation times, I also indicate the soaking time for the beans, which you obviously don’t need to consider if you buy them frozen or fresh.
For those who love cooking, I’d also like to remind you of other recipes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 250.88 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 36.10 (g) of which sugars 1.55 (g)
- Proteins 9.35 (g)
- Fat 7.88 (g) of which saturated 2.71 (g)of which unsaturated 4.56 (g)
- Fibers 4.84 (g)
- Sodium 604.14 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 158 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 9 oz dried beans (borlotti are ideal)
- 2 1/2 qt water
- as needed coarse salt
- 2.12 oz pork cheek
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 7.05 oz tomato pulp
- as needed chili pepper
- 14 oz pasta (fresh egg quadrucci)
Tools
To boil the beans, I recommend a large pot with fairly tall sides. For cooking the pasta, a smaller saucepan with tall sides about 9.5 inches in diameter. For cooking the sauce, a non-stick saucepan about 8 inches is fine to cook the pork cheek without adding other fats.
- 1 Pot
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Skillet
Preparation
Those using dried beans need to remember to soak them for at least 12 hours; I prefer to soak them the night before going to bed so they’re ready for the morning.
After soaking, rinse the beans using a colander and place them in the large pot, cover with 2.5 liters of water, add coarse salt, the carrot, 1/2 onion, and the celery stalk. Bring the pot to the heat with the lid on and boil over high heat. When the water boils, lower the heat slightly, but it should keep simmering. During this process, a white foam typical of bean cooking will form on the surface. I advise you to remove it gradually with a slotted spoon.
Continue cooking until the beans are soft, about 40 minutes, but be careful not to overcook them.
While the beans are cooking, prepare the sauce to add. Finely slice the pork cheek, place it in the non-stick skillet with 1/2 finely chopped onion, two garlic cloves either crushed or halved, and the chili pepper. Sauté everything over high heat while keeping the skillet covered with a lid, stirring often to brown the pork cheek without burning.
Once well browned, add the tomato pulp, adjust the salt, and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Then turn off the stove.
When the beans are cooked, remove the onion, carrot, and celery using the slotted spoon and add all the sauce to the pot. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes to let it flavor well, and your broth for the soup is ready.
All that remains is to cook the pasta directly in the broth for the cooking times indicated on the package.
NOTES
If you love a very thick soup, I recommend boiling a potato with the beans and mashing it with a fork directly in the broth. Another trick is to cook the pasta in a smaller container where you pour part of the broth and then add the necessary broth to the individual dishes.
In the recipe I propose, I use chili pepper because a touch of spiciness goes very well, but if you don’t like chili, replace it with pepper; there are even those who use both for the different flavors they add to the dish.
I like to prepare this recipe with fresh egg pasta, but valid alternatives are Sardinian gnocchetti or striped ditalini.
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