Borlotti bean pasta soup, a long recipe to make with dried beans that need to soak in room temperature water for at least 12 hours. In an era always in a hurry, making a recipe that requires time and patience but brings back beautiful memories is now a rare thing. This time, in fact, I wanted to try my hand at a classic recipe whose brothy base is perfect to prepare the day before, following the right precautions. Then just bring it to a boil, add your favorite pasta, and you’re done. I chose to use egg tube pasta, but you can choose any short pasta shape you like. In this recipe of mine, half of the bean base, after the first cooking in unsalted water, is blended, but here too, you can proceed as you prefer. At the end of the photo steps, I’ll answer the most asked questions about this type of recipe, while here I’ll leave you with some ideas to make with legumes in view of the cooler days ahead.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs dried borlotti beans
- 1 stalk celery
- a quarter onion
- Half a ground carrot
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 0.5 oz coarse salt
- 4 tbsp tomato puree
- 8.5 oz tube pasta (or other short pasta as desired)
Tools
- 1 Pot
- 1 Pan
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Lid
- 1 Colander
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Blender
Steps
To make the dried pasta and bean soup, first you need to soak the chosen beans in plenty of cold water for at least 12 hours. Cover the bowl and leave it to rest in a cool place away from heat sources. Once this time has passed, I recommend draining the beans and discarding those that remain hard or stained.
Meanwhile, prepare the base for the sauté by cleaning the celery, carrot, and onion and chopping them into small pieces. Soak them in a bowl with cold water. This way they will stay fresh and the onion will avoid making you cry during cooking.
Cook the beans in unsalted water in a large pot. For 500 grams of beans, you will need about 3.5 liters of water. Continue cooking over low heat, uncovered, for about 90 minutes or until the beans have softened. Much depends on their quality.
Once this time has passed, you can blend half of the beans with two ladles of their cooking water until you obtain a fairly thick but smooth cream.
Drain the vegetables for the sauté and sauté them for 3 minutes in three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over low heat. Add 3 ladles of the bean cooking water and the unblended beans, and stir. Add half a liter of water, the tomato puree, and stir. Add the bean cream, and salt the cooking water, stir, cover with a lid, and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
At this point, continuing to cook over low heat, add the pasta, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until it is fully cooked. Just be careful not to let it stick to the bottom of the pot. If you notice the liquid part has reduced too much, before adding the pasta, feel free to add a bit more water, bringing it back to a boil.
Finish the recipe with a drizzle of raw oil before bringing the dish to the table. Those who like it can also add grated cheese or fresh chopped parsley.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I freeze the soup before adding the pasta and then use it when I need it.
Certainly, just pay attention to the thawing method and the liquid part of the recipe.
