CNYEats A Taste of Utica: Pasta Fazoola!

Another winning recipe to warm you from the tips of your toes to the top of your head.  “A mouth-watering dish created during the lean days of the Great Depression”. 

Pasta Fazoola is posted by Tony Leone, page 26 in our book… 

  Tony reminds us to get out the “fresh slices of hard crust Italian water bread.  Slop up the remnants, lean back and loosen your belt!”

There are no measurements listed with this recipe.  The quantities listed here are simply what I used to easily feed ten to twelve hungry mouths.  This leaves the recipe WIDE open for you comments and recommendations when it comes to ingredients, quantities, and cooking times.   Lets hear them.  

• 1 box (16 oz) of small tube pasta (or small elbows, shells, etc.) *I used Ditalini pasta
• 
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• 15 oz can white navy beans *you can use 2 or 3 cans of your choice bean if you don’t want the 3 bean variety offered here.
• 15 oz can kidney beans
• 15 oz can chick peas
• 1 tsp black pepper *Joanne’s addition
• 1 tsp salt *Joanne’s addition
• 32 oz Marinara sauce – or other favorite pasta sauce * Use more if you want the sauce to have more tomato flavor instead of the 1 1/2 Veggie stock and wine below.
• 1 1/2 cups Vegetable stock or Chicken stock  *Joanne’s addition
• 1 cup Red wine *Joanne’s addition
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes * Joanne’s addition
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley *Joanne’s addition

Boil pasta according to package directions.

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a LARGE pot (such as a sauce pot 5 qt or so) and sauté the onion and peppers for 15 minutes. 

Turn the heat to medium high, wait a 1 minute for the pan to heat up, now add the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes.  If you see it begin to burn then immediately reduce the heat to medium and add the mushrooms and all beans, salt and pepper if using.  Otherwise, add the mushrooms, beans, etc. after 2 minutes.  Stir to combine. 

Add the sauce gradually.  Add the stock and or wine,red pepper flakes, parsley if using.  Stir to combine. Cover, reduce to simmer and let simmer for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. 

Stir in the al dente pasta and serve.

I made my own Italian Herb bread (1.5 lb loaf = 1 cup +2 TBS water, 2 TBS olive oil, 2 TBS sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 3 1/4 cup bread flour, 1 1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast)  earlier today using the trusty bread maker. It paired beautifully with this Pasta Fagioli.

Bon Appetite!

Joanne