Ingredients
- 100 g pasta mista or tubetti (up to 150 g)
- 250 g fagioli borlotti or cannellini, cooked (canned), or 200 g dried, soaked and cooked
- 180 g fresh elongated tomatoes (San Marzano-style; canned peeled tomatoes also work)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3–4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh parsley
- Salt
- Pepper (optional)
Instructions
Sauté the peeled, lightly crushed garlic in the oil for 1 minute.
Add the fresh tomatoes, quartered, with a little chopped parsley; stir and let flavor develop for 2 minutes. The tomatoes will soften — remove the skins once softened if you want a creamier result (optional).
Add the cooked beans and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley. Cook over medium heat, letting the beans absorb the flavor, about 1 minute.
Mash the tomatoes with a fork. Add a full glass of water, cover, lower the flame, and let the beans stew for about 10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.
Add another glass of water and bring back to a boil, then add the pasta directly to the beans — this is where the real technique matters.
Cook the pasta at a very low simmer, stirring constantly, adding hot water a tablespoon at a time. The key rule: never add all the water at once, or the pasta cooks in broth instead of thickening the sauce. Only add more water once the pasta has absorbed what's there. As you keep stirring, the beans slowly break down into a creamy "cremina."
It's ready when the pasta is cooked and the sauce is dense, creamy, and well bound to the pasta. Salt to taste and stir a final time.
Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of pepper, and a little fresh parsley, alongside slices of crusty bread or rye bread.