Ingredients

  • 400 gram broken spaghetti and pasta
  • 2 tins cannalini beans (washed and drained)
  • 3 or 4 garlic cloves (peeled)
  • 5 tablespoons (approx) olive oil
  • 10 cherry tomatoes (optional)
  • to taste salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. Put oil in a pan fry garlic till blond not brown
  2. If you have tomatoes add to the pan
  3. If you don't have tomatoes you can add a quarter of a tin of chopped tomatoes or leave them out entirely
  4. cook with garlic & oil for about 5mins
  5. Then add beans stir and cook all together for 5mins
  6. Cover with water 2 fingers above the beans
  7. Add salt & pepper to taste
  8. Cook for 20mins
  9. Add pasta, stir, cook till pasta is soft
  10. Stir often to stop pasta sticking to bottom of the pan
  11. If it goes dry add more water
  12. I like it thicker some people like it thinner
  13. When cooked cover with lid leave for 10/15 mins to rest so pasta absorbs the sauce

Pasta e Fasule, as made by my Neapolitan Nonna Luisa

Pasta e Fasule is Neapolitan for Pasta e Fagiole which is Italian for Pasta and Beans

Pasta and bean soup reminds me of being looked after when recovering from an illness as a kid. I like it so thick the spoon will stand up.

You can use odds and ends of pasta or break spaghetti in. When my dad was little he'd be sent to the pasta shop to get their broken odds and ends. They were cheaper.

steps in making pasta fasule as a gif