Italian Bean Soup with Homemade Maltagliati pasta. This is a total food hug in a bowl. Lovely beans stewed in a mirepoix broth, with tasty prosciutto slivers, and mingling with luscious homemade pasta. You couldn't ask for nothing better on a cold wintry day! Try it!
Song of the day: "Try Me" by James Brown
[This post is sponsored by Ontario Bean Growers. All ideas are our own.]
New Year, new outlook
Every start to a new year brings with it some life changes. I really am not fond of New year's resolutions, I would rather look at it as life change for the better. What does that have to do with this dish? Well, one thing that I have learned about Mediterranean and Italian cuisine in its most authentic form, is that it makes me feel healthy and wonderful and is very simple.
Great ingredients, simple execution, and lots of love is key in Italian cooking, a thing that Nicoletta and I have learned from our parents and nonni. I am so excited to share this soulful dish that is nothing but comforting and delicious. Let's get into our kitchen and make this recipe together.
Making homemade maltagliati
On a wooden work surface, pile flour and semolina into a mound. Make a well in the center and crack the egg in. Start beating the egg with a fork, gradually drawing in flour from the sides of the well until the egg have been absorbed by the flour. Add a few drops of water if necessary. It will go from rough and messy to nice and smooth. Work it for at least 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a bowl or wrapped in plastic.
Then, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Work one piece at a time, keeping the other pieces covered. Roll each piece of dough fairly thin, adding a little flour or semolina to the dough as you roll it out to keep it from sticking. You could roll the sheets with a pasta machine to make it faster. Let dry for about 10 minutes, then, using a pastry or ravioli cutting wheel, cut the sheets of dough first into long strips, then cut across each strip at varying angles to form short, uneven rectangles (hence the name maltagliati, badly cut).
Transfer the maltagliati to a semolina-dusted baking sheet or tray. Dust more semolina on top to prevent any sticking until ready to add to the bean soup.
Ingredients for our Italian Bean Soup with Homemade Maltagliati pasta
Indeed, Pasta e fagioli, Italian bean soup, is a simple dish, yet full of flavor. There are many versions, according to family recipes or regional variations. Pasta e fagioli with mussels, a classic Neapolitan recipe; Cavatelli with cannellini beans and tomatoes, another great recipe from the south of Italy; my auntie Rosaria Pasta e fagioli, a creamy version loved by many in our family.
Here are the ingredients to make this Italian Bean Soup with Homemade Maltagliati pasta that differs because of the addition of prosciutto and herbs, and some homemade pasta:
- Evo oil, butter, garlic, chili flakes (peperoncino)
- Prosciutto, slivered
- Diced carrots, celery, and onion
- Fresh tarragon and rosemary
- Borlotti (Romano) beans, canned or jarred
- Vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- And of course the homemade maltagliati, but you could also use a store bought small pasta
- Grated Parmigiano or Grana Padano to finish it off
A little love goes a long way
To me soups are something that make me feel taken care of. They are soulful, and comforting. Having said that, I cook with nothing but love and that is an ingredient that can take your dish over the top. Furthermore, the preparation of this soup is done in stages to build flavor and that soulfulness. Let's get started and make this lovely Italian Bean Soup with Homemade Maltagliati pasta.
Preparation
- Step 1: In a clay stove top pot drizzle in olive oil. Toss in garlic and some peperoncino (dried red chili flakes), slivered prosciutto, and mirepoix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring that to a medium to high heat and stir. Saute' for 3 minutes.
- Step 2: Now add your rinsed beans and let that cook for 2 minutes.
- Step 3: Time to add in your fresh herbs, and stir in.
- Step 4: Pour in vegetable broth and give it a good stir. Let that come to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Take out 1 cup of the beans with some broth. Place into a container, and puree with a hand blender. Then, pour back into the soup.
- Step 5: Toss in the maltagliati pasta and stir in gently. Let them cook for about 10 minutes or until nice and al dente.
- Step 6: Give the soup a last stir. Turn off heat. Ready to serve.
Italian Bean Soup with Homemade Maltagliati pasta - a hug in a bowl
When I smell the aroma of soup, it brings back so many memories of my parents making their soup in the kitchen. It always makes me feel loved. I don't know about you, but when it is cold outside and you come in to sit down to this bowl of soup, I feel like I am being hugged. This Italian Bean Soup with Homemade Maltagliati pasta is truly a work of love and is beautiful in the most rustic sense of the word.
Time for a taste
We have worked hard in the kitchen, now it is time to sit, relax, and enjoy this beautiful soup. Ladle some of the soup into a bowl and sprinkle in the grated Parmigiano or Grana. I like to drizzle a bit of fresh evo oil on top as a finish.
My first spoonful reveals that lovely rich broth, brushed ever so lightly with the flavor of the prosciutto. I love the little diced bits of vegetables and how they just melt on my tongue. The beans are nicely cooked with that al dente texture on the surface which leads you to the creamy center. Lastly, the maltagliati pasta, toothy, starchy and velvety. The perfect compliment to an already abundantly flavorful soup. Just absolutely exquisite! Well done, everyone!
In the end, for me, the best thing about cooking is sharing the experience and love with others. It is such a pleasure cooking with you, and we are so appreciative that you decided to join Nicoletta and I in our kitchen. Enjoy the recipe, and see you again soon. There are a lot more delicious dishes to come. Happy New Year, everyone, let's make 2025 a year of most extraordinary events!
Cheers!
PrintItalian Bean Soup with Homemade Maltagliati pasta
There is nothing better that wrapping your hands around a beautiful soulful bowl of Italian bean soup with cooler temperatures. This soup hosts tender tasty Romano (Borlotti) beans in a delightful broth made with garlic, peperoncino, mirepoix, prosciutto, and fresh herbs. More so, a comforting homemade maltagliati (oddly cut) pasta that just adds another level of texture. This soup is a hug in a bowl.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soups
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
For the maltagliati
- 50 g 00 flour
- 50 g semolina flour
- 1 egg
For the bean soup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons e.v.o. oil
- a pinch of peperoncino
- 1 clove of garlic
- ¼ cup each, finely chopped, celery, carrot, shallot
- 50 g prosciutto, finely chopped
- a crack of black pepper
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig tarragon
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 240 g (1 small can) Romano (Borlotti) beans
- 1.5 liters vegetable broth
- 150 g maltagliati pasta
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano or Grana
Instructions
For the maltagliati
- On a wooden work surface, pile flour and semolina into a mound. Make a well in the center and crack the egg in. Start beating the egg with a fork, gradually drawing in flour from the sides of the well until the egg have been absorbed by the flour. Add a few drops of water if necessary. It will go from rough and messy to nice and smooth. Work it for at least 5 minutes.
- Let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a bowl or wrapped in plastic.
- Then, with a knife cut the dough into 4 pieces. Work one piece at a time, keeping the other pieces covered.
- Very lightly flour the board, flatten the piece by pressing with your fingers and start rolling with a rolling pin from the center away from you to the outer edges. Turn the dough a quarter-turn, and repeat, working your way around, stretching as well as pressing down, and adding a little flour to the dough as you roll it out to keep it from sticking. Roll it fairly thin. You could roll the sheets with a pasta machine to make it faster.
- Then, spread the sheets out on a flat surface and let dry for about 10 minutes.
- Using a pastry or ravioli cutting wheel, cut the sheets of dough first into long strips, then cut across each strip at varying angles to form short, uneven rectangles (hence the name maltagliati, badly cut).
- Transfer the maltagliati to a semolina-dusted baking sheet or tray. Dust more semolina on top to prevent any sticking until ready to add to the bean soup.
For the soup
- Saute garlic, peperoncino, mirepoix, and prosciutto in extra virgin olive oil and butter for 3 minutes.
- Add the drained beans, stir, and cook for additional 2 minutes on medium heat.
- Add fresh herbs and vegetable broth. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Take out herbs and garlic. Remove 1 cup of beans and broth and puree with a hand blender. Pour back into the pot.
- Bring to a boil then add the fresh pasta. Cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Turn off heat and let cool a bit.
- Plate and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano.
- Enjoy!
Notes
If you do not want to make homemade pasta, use store bought mixed pasta for soups, ditalini, or broken spaghetti.
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
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