Stanley Tucci's Pasta Fagioli Recipe
"This recipe, along with scrambled eggs, oatmeal and various soups, basically kept me going and helped rebuild my strength," says Stanley Tucci.
Ingredients
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 mediumonion, sliced
- 2 clovesgarlic, halved
- ½ bunchcavolo nero (tuscan kale), roughly chopped
- 3cans cannellini beans
- 3 cupschicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 cupsmarinara sauce
- 1 poundsmall pasta, like ditali or gnocchetti sardi
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino, for serving (optional)
Directions
- 1
Pour a glug of the oil into a medium pot and saute the onion and garlic over medium-low heat until soft.
At the same time, boil the cavolo nero in a small pot of salted water. - 2
Add the beans, stock and marinara to the pan with the onion and garlic and stir together. Cook over low heat.
- 3
When the cavolo nero is soft, strain it, add it to the bean mixture and stir.
- 4
Continue to cook on a low simmer with the lid askew for about 15 minutes.
- 5
In the meantime, boil the pasta in salted water according to the directions on the package. When it’s done, strain it, reserving about a cup of the water, and place it in a large bowl.
- 6
Add about 2 cups of the bean mixture to the pasta along with some of the pasta water and a drizzle of oil and mix.
- 7
Salt to taste and divide among 4 bowls.
- 8
Add more bean mixture to each bowl with a drizzle of oil. Sprinkle with pepper and Parmigiano or pecorino, if using.
- 9
Variation: Loosely scramble 2 large eggs in a pan with olive oil. Then add one portion of the finished recipe above, including the pasta, and toss together. Finish with grated Parmigiano or pecorino and a drizzle of olive oil.