Description
Jamie Oliver’s pasta fagioli combines hearty Italian comfort with rustic charm. Home cooks can savor this classic peasant dish that delivers rich flavors and warmth in each spoonful, offering you a delicious connection to traditional Italian cuisine.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium)
- 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tbsp)
- 3 tbsps minced fresh parsley
- 2 tbsps olive oil, divided
- 3 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup water, then more as desired
- 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 2 tsps granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsps dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¾ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried marjoram
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry ditalini pasta
- Finely shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Meat Preparation: Brown ground beef in olive oil over medium-high heat until fully cooked, ensuring no pink remains. Remove beef from pot, reserving cooking vessel.
- Vegetable Foundation: Sauté diced celery, carrots, and onions in olive oil for 5-6 minutes until translucent. Quickly incorporate minced garlic, stirring to prevent scorching.
- Flavor Layering: Return browned beef to pot, seasoning with salt and black pepper. Pour in chicken broth, tomato sauce, water, canned tomatoes, sugar, and herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, and marjoram.
- Simmering Process: Reduce heat, cover, and allow soup to simmer for 18-22 minutes, developing rich, complex flavors and tenderizing vegetables.
- Pasta Integration: Simultaneously cook ditalani pasta until al dente in a separate pot. Drain pasta and fold into simmering soup along with kidney and great northern beans.
- Final Touches: Warm soup for an additional 1-2 minutes, adjusting liquid consistency if necessary. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve steaming hot, topped with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
Notes
- Meat Browning Technique: Completely break down ground beef to ensure even cooking and maximum flavor development.
- Vegetable Sauté Secret: Cook vegetables until translucent to release natural sweetness and create a robust flavor base for the soup.
- Herb Infusion Tip: Dried herbs should be added early in cooking to allow deeper flavor penetration and aromatic development.
- Pasta Timing Trick: Cook pasta separately to prevent overcooking and maintain perfect al dente texture when added to the final soup.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 54 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg