It’s Wednesday and in my kitchen or cucina, that means it’s Prince Spaghetti Day! Yay! I’m sure you’ve heard of this term before, the slogan line for the Prince line of spaghetti products that you can find almost anywhere. I can remember as a young kid going up to my Gram’s house for spaghetti and meatballs with mounds of garlic bread on the side and a big salad loaded with olive oil and vinegar. Every Italian girl’s dream. These days though, I don’t eat pasta as much as I once did for obvious reasons and all that garlic bread leaves me bloated for a full day after. Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy some pasta in the form of a fresh, clean and green soup… so thanks Prince for giving me a reason to create this recipe today!
Italian food is like the easiest food to cook by far so I rarely ever go out to eat Italian. Plus Andy says can’t stand spending money on easy recipes that he could make at home. Amen! I mean why spend $15 on a baked ziti dish or even worse a plain Fettuccine Alfredo when you could cook it for less than half of that at home? I laugh when I hear people talk about the unlimited soup, salad and breadstick lunch at the Olive Garden because that food is bland, is usually not made by an Italian chef, and it’s a chain! You want unlimited Pasta e Fagioli, you got it!
That’s me as a young Italian girl! My Ma made that vest I’m sporting!
Oh! Pasta e Fagioli or “pasta and beans” in Italian, is a meatless soup that started out as a peasant dish in Italy because the ingredients are so cheap to procure. Made with beans, tomatoes, herbs, veggies and macaroni, it’s a delicious, healthy and colorful soup that’ll take you under an hour to prepare and cook. Traditionally, this dish is made with Ditalini pasta or “small fingers” in Italian, and they are the size of a thimble. They soak up a lot of water though so you don’t need too much for this recipe.
Lol! I couldn’t find any Prince!
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Pasta e Fagioli- makes one gallon and a half
Ingredients:
-1 and 1/2 cup Ditalini pasta
-2, 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
-2 cups water
-1 T olive oil
-1 red onion, chopped finely
-5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
-5 carrots, chopped
-5 celery sticks, chopped
-2 cups spinach
-1, 15 oz can red kidney beans
-1, 15 oz can cannellini beans
-handful of parsley
-2 tsp. Herbs Provence
-1 cube Vegetable Bouillon
-salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Chop up all the vegetables finely.
2. In large pot, add the olive oil and the garlic and the onion. On medium high heat, let them cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Then add everything else (veggies, beans, herbs, water, etc) except for the dry pasta. Bring to a boil.
4. When it’s boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover for 30 minutes or until the carrots are soft enough. Stir occasionally.
5. Lastly, add the Ditalini pasta and let it cook for another 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
6. When the pasta is soft, remove from the heat and serve. Add a sprig of parsley for the presentation!
