ROMAN PASTA & BEANS

The Creamiest Soup to Warm up your Winter

Pasta e Fagioli alla Romana, or Roman-style beans and pasta soup, is the ultimate comfort food for chilly winter days. This hearty and creamy dish is a beloved classic in Roman cuisine, known for its simple ingredients and soul-warming flavors. Traditionally made with borlotti beans, short pasta, and aromatic vegetables, the soup achieves a naturally creamy texture without the use of dairy, thanks to the starches released by the beans and pasta during cooking.  

Unlike more brothy versions found in other Italian regions, the Roman version is thicker, almost resembling a stew. A touch of tomato adds depth, and the addition of herbs like rosemary and bay leaves infuses earthy flavors.  

While it’s enjoyed as a primo piatto (first course), Pasta e Fagioli alla Romana is incredibly versatile, and hearty enough to stand on its own as a main dish, especially when paired with crusty bread.  

This dish is as nutritious as it is comforting, and its slow-cooked nature enhances its digestibility. More so, beans are a plant-based powerhouse, rich in protein, fiber, iron, and potassium, making this dish not only a filling and heart-healthy meal, but also ideal for those following dairy-free diets.  

If you fancy another creamy winter warmer from the nearby region of Campania, don’t miss out our Pasta with Potatoes.

A little history

Pasta e Fagioli is a dish with humble beginnings, born out of necessity and rooted in the peasant cooking traditions of Italy (Cucina Povera). In Rome, it became a staple in local kitchens and osterie (small taverns), where its hearty, inexpensive ingredients made it accessible to all. The Roman variation is distinguished by its thick consistency and reliance on pantry staples; Guanciale was added only later as a more luxurious ingredient, its ancestor was probably pork rinds and scraps.  

The dish’s popularity grew alongside the cultivation of beans in Italy, which became widely available during the Middle Ages. By the Renaissance, beans were a dietary cornerstone, especially in regions like Lazio, where this dish became synonymous with warmth and sustenance.

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INGREDIENTS👇🏻

• 100g | 3.5oz Borlotti or Pinto beans

• 120g | 4.2oz guanciale (cured pork cheek) or lardons

• 400g | 14.1oz tinned chopped tomatoes

• 160g | 5.6oz mixed pasta

• 1 fresh chili pepper

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 sprig of rosemary

• Coarse sea salt for boiling water

• 2 pinches of fine sea salt

• 1 generous scrunch of black pepper

• Parmigiano Reggiano shavings to taste, or a cheese substitute for lactose intolerant!

The recipe step by step

1. Soak the dry beans in water overnight, or at least for 8 hours before cooking

   
   

2. Boil the beans in salted water for 1 hour

   
   

3. When draining the beans, make sure to keep the cooking water as it will be the broth base of your recipe

   
   

4. Chop the guanciale roughly and sizzle it in a pot, lid on, with only its own fat

   
   

5. When golden brown remove some for your decoration, before adding the beans in

   
   

6. Stir to marry the flavours and cook for 5 minutes on low heat, again with the lid on

   
   

7. Add the chopped tomatoes, the fresh chili, bay leaves and rosemary, and a pinch of sea salt, then cook for 5 more minutes with the lid on

   
   

8. Add 200ml | 7.04fl oz of the beans cooking water and bring to a boil 9

   
   

9. Add the mixed pasta in with a good pinch of sea salt and a generous scrunch of black pepper

   
   

10. Stir and cook with the lid on until the pasta is al dente, adding more beans cooking water if required

    
    

11. Stir thoroughly and let it cool down a little for the soup/stew to thicken up

    
    

12. Plate up decorating with the crispy guanciale you set aside earlier and for the non-dairy-free a generous amount of parmigiano Reggiano shavings…then enjoy! 😋