pasta e fagioli

for my new series "protein princess" where we're actually eating protein (!!)

alex often (like everyday) makes fun of how little protein I consume. we’ll be nearing the end of the day and he’ll just sigh at my meal consisting of 4 total grams of protein. I often feel like it’s a full time job keeping up with the count, especially as someone who always likes to switch her meals up. so no matter how much he’ll try to help me with advice and ideas - baby we are just built different. I have taste and you don’t <3

so when crafting up a new series for January - I figured what better way to hold myself accountable than to involve all of you too. we’re all in this together now bitches.

the goal: to make this protein improvement with as little change to my taste preferences as possible. I’ll be posting recipes that I actually want to eat but also happen to be protein centered and relatively easy for weeknights. we might have different ideas of easy so don’t end me. I will not be eliminating carbs, supplying macros, calories etc. but I would consider these meals nutritious and well rounded. feel free to make adjustments as you see fit to your life.

so without further ado, welcome to the official first installment of protein princess!!!!!! because if anything needed a rebrand it was protein. the men have claimed it far too long, pack it upppppp.

pasta e fagioli. traditionally made of just beans and pasta - I added ground beef to make this the heartiest, most delicious, make ahead for the week meal. it’s got the protein, the carb, the veggies, the greens, the fiber!!! girl we have it all in here and it is so so good.

note: you’ll be using the food processor for a majority of the prep so very minimal cutting is required. no need to wash it between each process, it’s all going in the same pot. I used my small 3.5 cup kitchen aid food processor for this and it was perfect. very handy tool if you’ve been on the cusp for a food processor but don’t feel like emptying 1/2 your apartment just to fit one. and if you don’t have a food processor, just dice everything by hand like normal!

re: these garlic croutons. I made the garlic bread from Alison Roman’s cookbook over Christmas and it was so good I couldn’t stop thinking about it for topping a soup, so these garlic bread croutons are adapted from her recipe in “Nothing Fancy” (love that book btw, one of my most used)

pasta e fagioli my way:

• 1 lb ground beef (you could also get away with 1.5 lbs if you wanna up the protein ratio)

• 1 large onion, quartered

• 6 garlic cloves

• 1 leek, halved and thinly sliced

• 4 celery sticks, cut into 2-3 section

• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-3 sections

• 6 cups water (tip: filling the 28 oz tomato can to the top, two times, equals 6 cups and gets all that leftover tomato sauce off)

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 1 large fresh stem of rosemary

• 2 dried bay leaves

• 2 cans cannellini beans, separated

• 1.5 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 2 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste

• 28 oz canned san marzano tomatoes

• 1 parm rind

• 1 cup tiny pasta (ditalini, lumachini, soup shells etc)

• 2 1/2 packed cups lacinato kale, stems removed and torn into strips

• 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped, plus more for garnishing

• freshly grated pecorino cheese for serving

• salt + pepper to taste

garlic croutons (optional, but like are they)

• 2 heaping cups bread, torn into bite sized pieces (baguette, sourdough etc)

• 8 garlic cloves

• 3 anchovies

• 1 tbsp butter

• 1/3 cup of olive oil

1. heat a large dutch oven over medium heat: add a generous drizzle of olive oil.

2. in the meantime, to a food processor add the onions and garlic and pulse until evenly minced. do not puree. once the oil in the pot is hot, add this mix along with the chopped leeks and cook for 1-2 minutes.

3. add the carrots and celery into the food processor and mince as well. these pieces can be left a little bit larger than the onion. add this mix to the onions in the pot. season with salt + pepper. cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent and the vegetables have softened.

4. lazy hack: “scoot” over the the vegetables to one end of the pot into a pile, and add ground beef to the pot. using a wooden spatula, break the ground meat into 6 large chunks. leave them undisturbed for 5-8 minutes or until browned and caramelized on the bottom. leaving them in large pieces helps with browning and takes up less surface area of the pot. once browned, flip them over and do the same to the other side. be sure to season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper. once the meat has browned on both sides, begin to break the large chunks into mince and continue browning the meat until it’s nicely golden all over.

5. mix in the ground beef with the vegetables and add tomato paste. cook for 2-3 minutes until the tomato pasta has darkened in color.

6. to the food processor: add the canned tomatoes and pulse for 10-15 seconds until the tomatoes are no longer whole and they’re uniformly broken down. add this to the pot along with the broth and water.

7. wash, rinse and drain both cans of beans. remove about half the beans from 1 can, and add it to the food processor along with a splash of water. blend until fully smooth. I know this is not looking delicious rn but just trust it adds nice texture.

8. add the whole beans and bean puree to the pot and give everything a big mix. add the rosemary stem, bay leaves, oregano, red pepper and parm rind and mix again. partially cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil.

9. lower heat to medium and simmer, half covered, for about 45 min-1 hour, mixing occasionally to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom. taste for salt and pepper and adjust any spices as needed.

10. if making the croutons: to the smallest saucepan you have, add the olive oil and garlic. set over medium heat and once you hear the garlic begin to sizzle, lower the heat to the lowest setting. let the garlic soften and cook in the oil for about 20-30 minutes, keeping an eye on it to make sure it’s not taking on color. once it’s very soft and easily mashable with a fork, add the anchovies in and mash together until a paste forms. off heat, add the butter, and some salt and pepper to taste. add your torn bread pieces to a parchment lined baking sheet and spoon the garlic mix over the bread, tossing to coat all of the bread. bake at 425 F (I used my air fryer) until golden brown for about 12-15 minutes, shaking the pan halfway. remove from the oven once golden brown and sprinkle with flaky salt.

11. after 1 hour of simmering, add the cup of pasta directly to the pot and set a timer according to al dente instructions. stir occasionally. add the kale in and cook for another 2-3 minutes until just softened. finish with the parsley and juice of half a lemon.

12. serve in bowls, topped with a few croutons (if using) freshly grated pecorino, freshly cracked black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and more parsley.

13. reheats flawlessly. perfect meal to prep for the week as it gets better the next day.

I hope you give this a try and stay tuned for next week’s episode!! xoxo

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xoxo

Katie