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Pasta e fagioli with black kale

17/11/2023

Pasta e fagioli with black kale is a dish of Italian origin, a classic comfort food that combines pasta with legumes and vegetables, in this case black kale. Here is the traditional recipe, with some suggestions for an Italian touch.

Ingredients

  • 300 g of dried cannellini beans (or about 800 g of cooked cannellini beans)
  • 200 g of pasta such as ditalini or tubetti
  • 1 bunch of black kale (about 200 g)
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 1 hot chili pepper (optional)
  • 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Vegetable broth or water as needed

Preparation

  1. If using dried beans, soak them the night before for at least 12 hours. Drain the beans and put them in a pot covered with cold water and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil and cook until the beans are tender, about 1-2 hours (time may vary depending on the beans).
  2. In the meantime, clean and finely chop the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Clean and cut the black kale into thin strips, removing the hardest part of the stem.
  3. Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté the mixture of onion, carrot, celery, and garlic along with the chili pepper and rosemary. When the sauté begins to brown, add the black kale.
  4. Drain the cooked beans, saving the cooking water, and add half of them to the sauté. Coarsely mash with a fork or potato masher.
  5. Add vegetable broth or cooking water until you obtain a fairly liquid mixture. Bring to a boil.
  6. Add the pasta to the pot along with the rest of the whole beans. Cook for the time indicated on the pasta package, adding broth or water if necessary.
  7. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.
  8. Let the pasta e fagioli rest for a few minutes before serving, so it thickens slightly. Serve hot, with a drizzle of raw oil.

Fun Facts

Pasta e fagioli is a dish that varies in many regions of Italy, every family has its traditional recipe. In some versions, tomato is added for flavor and color, and in others, ham or pork rind is used to flavor the sauté. In the case of the version with black kale, we have a meeting between Tuscan cuisine, famous for its “black kale,” and the Campania tradition, the home of classic pasta e fagioli.

Pasta e fagioli with black kale