What is Pašta Fažol?
Pašta Fažol is a hearty and fragrant bean soup that has small pasta added to it. Two types of comforting carbs in a single bowl... So, what’s not to love about it?
I say that as someone who never liked beans as a child. But that changed when my Mum started cooking pašta fažol instead of the regular grah varivo.
Check out the Croatian Grah Varivo recipe.
Believe it or not, some Croatians are not over the moon with beans. If your kid is one of them, cook pasta fazol and see how they change their tune.
The tiny pasta basking in a plate is so pretty to see. I used to play a game of always catching two beans and two pasta pieces with a spoon.
Now, when I’m too old to play silly games with my food, I focus on the flavor. And pašta fažol is loaded with a deep, smokey aroma of pancetta. You don’t see it because it’s blended into pešt (Croatian pancetta pesto), but we’ll come to that part in the cooking instructions below.
You’ll find pašta fažol mostly in Dalmatia and other coastal regions of Croatia. The name of the dish tells you everything about its origin.
Pašta is pasta, and fažol comes from the Italian fagiole. Our pasta and bean soup is a sibling of the Italian pasta fagiole.
Main Ingredients For Pašta Fažol
A fragrant bowl of pašta fažol needs four groups of ingredients. We need vegetables, herbs, and aromatics for the stock. Then comes smoked meat and pancetta for the depth of flavor. And finally, we need beans and pasta.
Best Pasta Choice
You can’t cook pasta fazol with any pasta. The choice is crucial. Pasta needs to be the same size as the size of beans. Also, look for the type made of durum wheat because this prevents it from getting soggy.
My two favorite pasta types are orecchiette and ditalini.
Choosing a Perfect Bean type
If you want a perfectly velvet texture, cook pašta fažol from scratch. This means using dry beans and leaving them to soak overnight. Borlotti beans are the standard and best choice.
Pešt - Croatian Pancetta Pesto
Pašta Fažol is a very Dalmatian dish. And that means it gets flavored with pancetta. A piece of smoked meat goes in the pot just as with grah varivo. But there’s an extra smokey kick that develops in the soup. It comes from pešt.
Pešt is a Croatian word for pesto. But on the Croatian coast, pešt is always made with three ingredients: pancetta, garlic, and parsley leaves. They are minced and combined into a smooth paste with tastes like a bomb.
You only need a couple of spoonfuls of pešt to create aromas that linger in your mouth for hours. The funny thing is that you don’t even see pešt in the dish. You are just left wondering why your bowl of pašta fažol tastes so divine.
Pro Tips For Success
There are two things that can make or break your pašta fažol. Prepping the beans and cooking pasta the right way. Let’s review both.
Soak Beans Overnight
Plan a day ahead when you want to cook pašta fažol. It’s best to soak the beans overnight or at least for 4-5 hours.
Cooking beans from scratch gives the soup a wonderful texture and flavor. The liquid will turn thicker, and the stock will be more robust.
That said, there are a few steps you need to take into account. Once the beans have plumped up, they need to be rinsed from the soaking water.
Add fresh water and cook them just until the water comes to a boil. Then strain immediately. This step strips the beans of their dangerous effect: flatulence. 🙂
Add the second round of fresh water to the pot and begin cooking pašta fažol ‘for real’.
Cook Pasta the Right Way
If you choose the right type of pasta as instructed above, there is only one more thing to keep in mind. Cook it separately, and don’t overcook it.
If the package instructions say to cook for 12 minutes, cook them for 9. Leave them al dente, strain, and add to the pot with fazol.
Eat your pašta fažol the same day. No matter how much you try to keep the pasta firm, it will go soggy eventually.
Remember, pasta fazol is the only type of grah varivo that is best eaten on the same day.
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Step-by-step guide to preparing Pašta Fažol
Croatian Pasta Fazol Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g cups dry borlotti beans (2 1/8)
- 200 g smoked ribs (0.4 lb)
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 yellow carrot (optional)
- 1 large onion
- 1/2 medium celeriac (celery root)
- 1 parsley root
- 1 sprig of celery leaves
- 1 sprig of parsley leaves
- salt, pepper, sweet paprika (to taste)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp pešt (see below)
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 200 g small pasta (orecchiette or ditalini) (0.4 lb)
For the Pešt
- 50 g pancetta (1 oz)
- 25 g chopped parsley leaves (2 tbsp)
- 5 cloves garlic
Instructions
- Soak the beans in about 2.5 l (10 ½ cups) of water overnight or for 4-5 hours.
- The following day, rinse the beans, cover with fresh water and bring to a boil. Strain immediately.
- Add fresh water, smoked meat, sprigs and all the vegetables apart from 1 carrot and 1/2 onion. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and bay leaves and cook on low heat for 90 minutes.
- Remove the cooked vegetables and meat, leaving only beans and stock. Discard the vegetables. Chop the meat into 3-cm- (1-in-) chunks to be served on the side.
- Ladle out 1 cup of beans with some stock, add tomato paste and blend into a smooth paste. Pour back into the pot.
- While the beans are cooking, make the pešt. Finely dice all 3 ingredients separately, then blend everything into a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Next, chop the rest of the onion and sauté it on olive oil until golden. Then add the remaining carrot, also chopped, and let it all sweat for 10 minutes. Lastly, stir in the pešt.
- Pour the sautéed vegetables into the main pot and let everything come to a gentle simmer.
- Cook the pasta al dente. Drain, rinse and add it to the pot.
