Quickpastafagioli Food

PASTA E FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed with kitchen twine. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet. Puree 1 cup of the bean mixture in a blender until smooth*. Before putting the puree back into the soup, add the macaroni and boil with the lid on until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Return the puree to the remaining soup in the saucepan and stir well. Season the soup with ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.
• Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.
• *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

PASTA AND BEANS: PASTA E FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta bits lightly, and add herb stems, bay leaf, chopped vegetables, and garlic. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add beans, tomato sauce, water, and stock to pot and raise heat to high. Bring soup to a rapid boil and add pasta. Reduce heat to medium and cook soup, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente. Rosemary and thyme leaves will separate from stems as soup cooks. Remove herb stems and bay leaf from soup and place pot on table on a trivet. Let soup rest and begin to cool for a few minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and top with lots of grated cheese. Pass crusty bread for bowl mopping.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook the celery, carrots, onion and garlic until they're tender.
• Stir the broth, Italian seasoning and tomatoes in the skillet. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
• Add the pasta and beans and cook for 5 minutes.
• Place half of the broth mixture into a blender or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour the pureed mixture into the skillet. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is hot.

PASTA FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook celery, onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt in the hot oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce, and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add pasta and cook 10 minutes, until pasta is tender.
• Add undrained beans and mix well. Heat through. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

PASTA FAGIOLI

Steps:

• In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter and oil. Add broth; bring to a boil. Add pasta; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add the beans, tomatoes, spinach and salt. Cook 5 minutes longer or until heated through. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

QUICK PASTA E FAGIOLI - OLIVE GARDEN

Steps:

• Brown ground beef in large pot.
• Drain any grease.
• Add remaining ingredients except pasta and bring to a boil.
• Turn heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes (or more as desired).
• Adjust amount of liquid by adding additional beef broth if needed.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add cooked pasta and heat through.
• Serve with parmesan cheese.

QUICK PASTA FAGIOLI

Steps:

• Saute garlic in oil in 10" Skillet or Dutch oven with at least 2 Qt capacity, until garlic is lightly browned.
• Remove garlic and discard.
• (I prefer to use chopped garlic and leave it in after browning).
• Add chopped carrot, onion and celery; saute until they begin to color, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add rosemary and tomato paste.
• Add beans with their liquid, chicken broth and water.
• Simmer uncovered, 2 minutes.
• Add pasta, stirring to distribute ingredients evenly.
• Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until pasta is al dente firm, but tender.
• (*With the 8 to 10 oz. of pasta, I cook for about 16 minutes).
• Remove pan from heat.
• Let stand, covered 10 minutes.
• Add salt, if necessary.
• Combine cheese and parsley in small serving bowl.
• Stir vinegar into soup, and ladle into warmed soup bowls.
• Serve with cheese-parsley mixture.
• *Note-I chop the vegetables in my blender, I prefer them more finely chopped and not too coarse.
• Plus it's a real time-saver!
• MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS: Reduce rosemary to 1/2 Tsp Combine garlic and oil in 4 Qt casserole.
• Microwave, uncovered, at full power for 2 minutes.
• Remove garlic, add carrot, onion and celery.
• Microwave, uncovered, for 3 minutes.
• Add rosemary, tomato paste, undrained beans, chicken broth and water.
• Cover.
• Microwave at full power for 14 to 16 minutes or until boiling.
• Stir in pasta.
• Cover.
• Microwave at half power for 12 minutes.
• Stir in vinegar.
• Add salt, if necessary.
• Let stand, covered, 10 minutes.
• Serve with the cheese and parsley mixture.

SLOW-COOKER PASTA E FAGIOLI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until beef is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. , Transfer to a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, cabbage, celery, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low until vegetables are tender, 7-8 hours. , Stir in pasta. Cover and cook on high until pasta is tender, about 30 minutes longer. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.

SLOW COOKER VEGETARIAN PASTA E FAGIOLI SOUP (WITH OPTIONAL GROUND BEEF)

Steps:

• Drizzle the olive oil into a large saute pan set over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring once or twice, for 1 minute. Splash in about 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Pour into slow cooker.
• To the slow cooker, add remaining vegetable broth, cabbage, carrots, zucchini if using, beans, and tomatoes. (If you're adding 1 pound ground beef to the entire batch, you can cook and drain ground beef well and add it now.) Cook for 8 hours on low (5-6 hours on high should also do the trick).
• 30 minutes before the cooking process ends, add pasta and put lid back on the Crock Pot.* Continue cooking on low until tender.
• *At this point, if you're adding ground beef to half, set a large saucepan over medium heat, add the 1/2 pound ground beef, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 10-15 minutes. Drain any excess fat. Transfer a little less than half the soup to the pan with the ground beef and let simmer, covered, until pasta is completely tender and soup is heated through.
• Stir in red wine vinegar (divide between separate pots if doing the half-meaty version) and taste. Add additional salt and pepper if desired.
• Serve topped with chopped parsley and/or basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and pass with Parmesan cheese if desired.