Vegan Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Beans Soup) (GF Option)
This vegan pasta e fagioli is an unforgettable, hearty, warming, and comforting dish. Smoked tofu is used to replace the meat, and cashew parmesan substitutes the traditional parmesan rind in the original version. The dish is cooked for almost 4 hours, starting with a soffritto and then thoroughly cooking dried beans. The end result has an incredible umami taste that will leave you yearning for more.
Ingredients
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 100 g brown onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 50 g celery
- 50 g carrots
- 1/2 tsp salt divided
- a pinch of black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh oregano chopped; measured before chopping
- 1 leaf fresh sage chopped
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme chopped; measured before chopping
- 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary chopped; measured before chopping
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 150 g dried borlotti beans soaked in boiling water for 1 hour
- 1200 ml (5 cups) water divided
- 33 g (1/3 cup) cashew parmesan
- 2 bay leaves
- 125 g small pasta of choice gluten-free if needed
- 1/2 tbsp salt for cooking the pasta
- 100 g smoked tofu sliced
Optional toppings:
- a pinch of chilli flakes
- a drizzle of olive oil
To serve:
- 2 slices of bread
Instructions
- Boil water and pour it over dried borlotti beans so that it completely covers them. Leave to soak for 1 hour.
- While the beans are soaking start chopping all the vegetables for the soffritto (onion, garlic, celery, carrots). The pieces should be very small.
- Heat olive oil in a larger pot over medium heat, then add vegetables for the soffritto and lower the heat to low. Add also 1/4 tsp of salt and a pinch of black pepper. Mix together then cover and cook for 30 min, checking and mixing every 5 min.
- In the meantime prepare the rest of the ingredients from oregano to bay leaves. Chop herbs in small pieces. Prepare spices and tomato paste, so that they're easily reachable, when you'll need them. Prepare 1 L of water in a larger bowl. Put the rest of 200 ml of water into a blender, add cashew parmesan and blend into a smooth liquid. When 1 hour of soaking is over, drain beans of water and splash them with some fresh water.
- When soffritto has been cooking for 30 min, add chopped herbs (oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary). Mix and cook covered for 3-4 min.
- Add cayenne pepper and smoked paprika, mix and cook covered for about a minute.
- Add tomato paste, mix and cook covered for about a minute.
- Add borlotti beans, mix, then immediately add 1 L of water and the cashew parmesan mixture from the blender. Increase the heat to high.
- While the water is getting hot, add also 1/4 tsp of salt and bay leaves. Mix, cover and wait for it to boil.
- After it boils, turn the heat to low and cook for 2-3 hours. Check a few times in between and mix (one time every hour is enough).
- 15 min before the end of cooking start cooking the pasta separately. Heat a medium pot with 1.5 L of water over high heat. When it starts to boil, add 1/2 tbsp of salt and pasta. Wait for it to boil again then lower the heat to medium and cook per the instructions on the pasta box. After pasta is done cooking, drain it from the cooking water, then add it to the already turned off pot with beans. Mix together.
- Add to the pot also sliced smoked tofu and mix again. Remove bay leaves from the pot.
- Leave the pot to rest for a while so that the smoked tofu warms up and the pasta e fagioli thickens. Keep in mind that the longer you let it rest, the thicker it will become, so choose when to eat it according to your preferred thickness. If you only want the smoked tofu to warm up, a few minutes is enough.
- Divide between two bowls and serve warm with an optional sprinkle of chilli flakes and a drizzle of olive oil on top. You can also serve a slice of bread with each bowl.
Notes
*I tested different brands of dried borlotti beans and for some brands 2 hours of cooking was enough instead of 3 hours. I suggest you test your beans after 2 hours of cooking by taking one bean out of the pot and taste the softness.
*As often with cooking it applies also to making the soffritto. If you are making a bigger batch, it will take longer for the vegetables to sweat; if you are making a smaller batch, it will take less. For example, if you are making a portion for three people, the soffritto will take about 40 min, if you are making a portion just for one person, it will take about 20 min.
*Some tips for creating this recipe taken from Carla Lalli Music.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 servingCalories: 781kcalCarbohydrates: 107gProtein: 38gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gSodium: 1151mgFiber: 20gSugar: 10g
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