Pasta and Beans is definitely one of my favorite soups, and it feels strange to think that as a child, it was actually a nightmare for me when I came home from school hungry and found this soup waiting.
I’m not sure when exactly I started enjoying it, but since then I regularly prepare it once a week, especially when I have little time because using pre-cooked cannellini beans, this dish is ready in a flash. Plus, it’s also light because it requires no sautéing, just using tomatoes, celery, garlic, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil to flavor the water in which the pasta and beans will cook together.
If you want an even tastier version of this dish, you must try Pasta and beans with mussels .
Now take a minute to read the recipe and then…we COOK and we EAT!!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 14 oz canned white beans (drained weight)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 stalk celery
- a few cherry tomatoes
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper (ground)
- mixed pasta
- 6.3 cups water
Tools
- 1 Strainer
- 1 Pot
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 Ladle
Steps
Preparing pasta and beans starting with pre-cooked beans is very simple and fast, but above all convenient.
First, drain the beans from their preserving liquid in a strainer and rinse them under running water.
Then transfer the beans to a high-rimmed pot, add the water, and season with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a clove of garlic (for convenience, I pierce it with a toothpick to easily remove it later), a few cherry tomatoes (3 or 4), and one stalk of celery.
Add salt, bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and let cook for 15-20 minutes, just enough time to flavor the beans.
After this time, remove the garlic and add the pasta, if necessary, hot water a little at a time until cooked. You should achieve a consistency that is neither too soupy nor too thick (“azzeccata” as they say in Naples), but creamy just enough.
Notes
If you want to prepare pasta and beans starting from dry beans, you should soak the cannellini beans the night before. The next morning, rinse the beans and cook them in plenty of water, and when they are almost cooked, season them as described.
