Pasta e Fagioli

Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Place them in a large pot and cover with fresh cold water by 6 cm. Add the rosemary sprig and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim any grey foam, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 60-90 minutes until the beans are completely tender — no chalkiness at the center when bitten. Do not rush this step with a hard boil, which can split the bean skins and make the broth cloudy. Reserve all the cooking liquid. Remove the rosemary. Using a potato masher or the back of a spoon, roughly mash about one-third of the beans directly in the pot to create a naturally thick, creamy broth.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes until the vegetables are completely soft and the onion is translucent and just beginning to turn gold. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat all the vegetables. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, pressing the paste against the hot pot until it darkens slightly from bright red to brick-red and smells sweet and caramelized.

Add the cooked beans and all their reserved cooking liquid to the soffritto. Stir together and bring to a gentle simmer. If the broth is too thick, add water until you reach a consistency slightly thinner than your target finished soup — the pasta will thicken it further. Simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust salt. The broth should now taste deeply savory with a faint sweetness from the soffritto and a lingering heat from the peperoncino.

Add the dry pasta directly to the simmering bean broth. Stir immediately and frequently — the pasta will absorb the broth aggressively, so check consistency every 2 minutes and add water as needed to keep it soupy throughout cooking. Cook until the pasta is al dente — it will continue softening in the residual heat. The final dish should be thick enough that a spoon dragged through it leaves a clear channel that fills back slowly. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust salt generously. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the surface and stir it in. Let the soup rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.