Emeril's One-Pot Blogger Cooking Party: Pasta e Fagiole

Pasta e Fagiole translates to "Pasta and Beans" in English.  Hmm... it sounds so much fancier in Italian, doesn't it?  As I mentioned in my last post, and probably here and there over the years, my boyfriend is Italian and loves food - cooking it and eating it.  He is also a wealth of knowledge to me when it comes to pronouncing the names of Italian dishes correctly and what they should look or taste like.  So when I made this dish, which I kept calling a soup, a few days ago, he kept saying, "It's not a soup!"  Well of course that just made me want to call it a soup even more...  ;-)

As you can see in the picture above, I kind of made it like a soup.  I wasn't sure what the finished dish was supposed to look like.  I didn't Google it and there wasn't a photo of it in the book.  It's not totally a soup, but it's pretty saucy how I made it, but I have to say I really loved it that way.  So if a saucy Pasta e Fagiole is wrong... well honey, I don't wanna be right.

I HIGHLY recommend making this soup.  It is so delicious and so very good for you.  It's loaded with kale, which is one of the best vegetables you can possibly eat.  It's also got delicious cannelini beans and tomatoes and of course a little heat from some crushed red pepper flake (a spice I have come to realize Emeril is VERY fond of... I think he uses it in nearly every recipe).  I'm with him... crushed red pepper flake rocks.

This is dish #8 out of the 9 recipes I prepared from Emeril's new cookbook, Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders.  After the jump, I'll show you how this dish is made.  Also, don't forget to check out more recipes cooked for you by my food blogger buddies here:

Bite and Booze and on Facebook here.
Just off the Red Streetcar Line and on Facebook here.
Diabetic Foodie and on Facebook here.
Tracey's Culinary Adventures and on Facebook here.
The Boys Made Me Do It! and on Facebook here.
Mommy Hates Cooking and on Facebook here.
Farmgirl Gourmet and on Facebook here.
Cajun Chef Ryan and on Facebook here.
Savoring Today and on Facebook here.
Not Rachael Ray and on Facebook here.
Miss in the Kitchen and on Facebook here.
30AEATS and on Facebook here.
Foodhunters Guide to Cuisine and on Facebook here.
Thyme in our Kitchen and on Facebook here.
Cooking with Books and on Facebook here.
Goov-y Foody and on Facebook here.
Manges! Mangi! and on Facebook here.
The Wicked Noodle and on Facebook here.
Cookistry and on Facebook here.

Also, check out Emeril's Facebook page here: Emeril Lagasse and follow him on Twitter here: @Emeril and check out Emeril's publishing company, Morrow Publishing, blogging here: The Secret Ingredient, and on Twitter here: @MorrowCooks, and on Facebook here: Morrow Cooks.



 Begin by cooking up some diced up pancetta until brown and crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on some paper towels.  Leave about a tablespoon of the pancetta drippings in the pot and discard the rest.




Next, add the onion and thyme and cook for a few minutes until the onion starts to slightly caramelize.




Add the garlic, basil, and crushed red pepper flake and saute for about 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant.  Then add the tomatoes and cook for a minute.  This also acts as a way to deglaze the pan and scrape up the brown bits.




Add the chicken stock and salt.






Then add the beans and kale, stir, then bring to a boil.  Simmer the sauce for about 7 minutes.




Add the pasta, a little more salt if needed, and simmer until the pasta is cooked through... about 8 minutes.  Then add some Parmesan cheese and the pancetta back to the pot.  Serve it immediately in bowls topped with a bit more Parmesan cheese and a side of crusty bread for dipping.  So so good.




This is yet another great Fall/Winter dish from this very versatile cookbook and I will be making this again.  I actually can't wait to make it again.  So delicious for dinner and perfect for lunch the next day.