Pasta Fagioli Ingredients

7 TbspOlive oil large fry pan

2 Tbsp Crushed garlic

1 White Onion (dry paper type) - Chopped Medium

1 TspRosemary

2 TbspParsley

3 LbsDry Cranberry Beans

1Large Can of Crushed Tomatoes

1 LbElbow Macaroni

1 TspSalt

1/2 TspRed Pepper Flakes

Wash cranberry beans and place in a pressure cooker and add 3/4 full water. Pressure cook for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile:

In a large deep fry pan, add oil, garlic, onion, rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes. Sauté until onion is clear. No darkened garlic. This is your Tomato Sauce.

Add Tomatoes to the fry pan and cook down until it makes a nice sauce. If the Tomatoes are tangy add 1 Tsp of sugar. More salt - if needed.

Once the beans are cooked (they should be 95% cooked) add the frypan contents to a large pot where all the ingredients can cook together. Add the beans and the bean water too.

Simmer for 1.5 hours (stirring often). If the dish is thick it will stick to the bottoms of the pot. Add additional water as needed.

Also Meanwhile...

Cook the elbow macaroni pasta in a separate pot until al dente light. Drain the water from the Pasta and place the Pasta back in the pot. Add Olive oil to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add the cooled pasta to the large pan of fry pan goods (Tomato Sauce) toward the end of the 1.5 hours so the pasta does not get mushy.

Lastly:

Simmer for an additional 15 minutes after adding the pasta to the large pot of Fagioli (beans). Add water as needed to keep the dish from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

This dish gets thicker with time because of the carbs in the beans and pasta (so you may need to add more water). Also - the beans can absorb salt very readily - so it is possible the dish may require additional salt and pepper too.

This dish makes approximately 8 servings. It keeps well in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave. Add water as needed. Honestly, it is best after two days in the fridge. The Tomato Sauce ages nicely with the Fagioli. Tell me what you think...

Pasta Fagioli in Old Town Tacoma

Growing up in Old Town Tacoma, most of my neighbors were Slavonians. They were from Croatia originally, and they brought their traditional recipes with them. Our next door neighbor was Mama and Papa Mladineo. They were a wonderful people and she was a great cook. Her grandson Tom Krotkowski was one of my best friends, and we would wait in her Kitchen starting at about 4PM when she was cooking her version of Pasta Fagioli. When I smell this dish it takes me back to her Kitchen and the wonderful aroma of her cooking. I have tried to replicate her recipe as best I can, but I am sure it is not exactly the same as hers. She probably added more love to her dishes than I can adequately describe.

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