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–+ servings

Louis Evangelista's Pasta e Fagioli

Canned red kidney beans work well in this recipe but if you want even more flavor, start by cooking dry beans. If you do, I suggest using my recipe for Cannellini alla Toscana, substituting red kidney beans. A link to the recipe is in the Notes section, below. A little olive oil added at the end will improve both the flavor and the mouth-feel of the sauce.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 1 head escarole
  • 3 cups cooked red kidney beans plus cooking liquid to cover (or two 15-ounce cans)
  • 5-6 cloves garlic crushed with the side of a knife
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil plus additional as needed
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper freshly ground to taste
  • 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese grated, plus additional for serving

Method
 

  1. Bring four quarts of water seasoned with 1/3 cup of salt to a boil.
  2. Meanwhile, gently heat the beans and their liquid in a small pot.
  3. Separate the leaves of the escarole.
  4. In a sauté pan large enough to hold everything, heat the olive oil.
  5. Add the garlic to the oil and sauté over medium-low heat until brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will impart a bitter taste.
  6. When the garlic is brown, discard it and remove the oil from the heat.
  7. When the water comes to a boil, add the escarole leaves, return to a boil, and cook until wilted, approximately 1 minute.
  8. Lift the escarole out of the water and toss with the oil in the skillet.
  10. Cook the spaghetti in the same water used to cook the escarole until it is almost al dente. It should still be just a bit crunchy on the inside.
  11. Add the warmed beans to the sauté pan with the escarole and keep warm on low heat.
  12. When the pasta is ready, reserve one cup of the pasta-cooking water.
  13. Drain the pasta and add to the beans and escarole.
  14. Season with black pepper to taste.
  15. Cook over medium to medium-low heat until the spaghetti is just al dente, adding the reserved pasta cooking water as needed.
  16. There should be enough liquid left to create a glossy sauce.
  17. Off the heat, add the grated cheese and a few glugs of olive oil if you wish (I do!)
  18. Taste and adjust salt.
  19. Serve immediately with grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese on the side.

Notes

If you want to start with dried beans, use my recipe for Cannellini alla Toscana.
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