A delicious mixture of beans, pasta and root vegetables, this Tuscan Bean Stew is inspired by my student travels and perfect for an easy midweek supper. A great way to celebrate World Pasta Day!
I have always had a huge passion for languages, travel and culture. These days I mostly enjoy travel via the medium of food (two small children makes actual travel to far flung places a little trickier these days, or even near flung ones for that matter), but once upon a time the real kind of travel was possible and I had some lovely adventures in my late teens and early twenties.
One of my favourite trips was the 6 weeks I spent at language school in Florence, Italy (just to avoid confusion with Florence, South Carolina or any other Florences there may be in the world.) This actually came about after I had just spent a whole year as an intern in Paris and had managed to save up enough to spend a decent amount of time learning Italian in one of Italy’s most beautiful cities, not to mention enjoying everything that wonderful city of culture has to offer.
One of the most brilliant things about my trip to Florence was that the language school made arrangements to have their students ‘hosted’ by Italian families. As a result I spent 6 weeks staying with Signor and Signora Tendi and their family. It was a wonderful way of being immersed in real Italian life. My host family could best be described as ‘salt of the earth’ – utterly authentic, complete with the stereotypical Italian mamma who loved nothing more than to spend her days cooking for her family…and me!
And believe me I ate well during those 6 weeks, really well. One thing you learn when you go to real Italy (as opposed to the touristy places), is that Italians eat differently from us Brits. Pasta is served as a first course, not a main course. Meat and a side dish of vegetables is the main course. And this is usually followed by fruit, rather than a big pudding. (Well there’s not much room to fit in a big pudding after two massive courses!).
When it came to the pasta course, the mamma of the family often made a Tuscan bean stew similar to this one I am sharing with you today – a simple pasta dish consisting of beans, vegetables and small pasta shapes in a rich tomato sauce. And as far as I understand it, this is a pretty traditional way to start a meal in Tuscany.
Back home in the UK, I eagerly set about recreating this dish, but being British, I usually have this as a main course not a starter (with potatoes and pasta, it’s pretty filling already, there’s no way I’d have any more room to fit in a big meaty main course afterwards). It went on to be one of our staple meals for years – we’d have it pretty much every week, often twice as it’s a great one to make extra and reheat the next day, or take into work for a healthy microwave lunch.
But since starting this blog my meal plans are often so stuffed full of my new ideas, that I have a tendency to forget about our old favourites. I had a sudden realisation whilst we were on holiday this year and I was cooking up all several simple pasta dishes in our gorgeous little apartment in Aix, that so many of our old favourites hadn’t actually ever made it onto the blog. And what better day to share with you one of our all-time favourite pasta dishes that today…World Pasta Day?
I have tried many different wines with this dish over the years. If you fancy a white wine, it actually goes surprisingly well with a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, but I prefer to keep it local and go with a Tuscan Sangiovese.
Tuscan Bean Stew
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced finely
- 1 small leek sliced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1 large baking potato peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 200 ml water half the empty tomato can
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 400 g tin mixed beans drained
- 100 g macaroni or other small pasta shape
- Small handful basil leaves torn
- Grated Grana Padano or Parmesan for sprinkling or vegetarian equivalent
Method
- Place the olive oil, onion and leek in a large deep saucepan and fry over a gently over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the carrot, potato and garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and 200ml water to the pan, then crumble in the stock cube and add a little salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then cook over a low heat for 20 minutes.
- Add the drained tin of mixed beans and cook for 10 more minutes, until the potato is cooked and the sauce has thickened.
- Meanwhile cook the macaroni according to pack instructions. When the macaroni is cooked, drain and add to the bean stew.
- Tear up your basil and add to the stew. Serve the stew with the cheese sprinkled over the top, or put the cheese in a bowl on the table for everyone to help themselves.
Pin Tuscan Bean Stew for later
I am pretty certain that Italian food is among the best in the world and probably the healthiest too! Your Tuscan Bean stew sounds amazing (as do your travels) and I could quite happily eat a bowl (even though it is only breakfast time…) x
I love Italian food so much, and you are right it does certainly seem to be one of the healthiest cuisines on the planet. It is such a lovely easy and tasty recipe – even my husband can make it, so it must be easy!! Haha – never had it for breakfast mind, but there’s always a first time!! 🙂 Eb x
Love the look of this – pasta, beans and veggies always works for me. I’m quite jealous of your six weeks in Florence. I had dreams of doing something similar when I was at uni, mainly because I had a huge crush on Jude Law and watched The Talented My Ripley far too many things. I think eventually I realised that it was no longer the 1950s, Jude Law wasn’t actually Italian, and really it didn’t end too well, and I ended up going to India instead. Anyway, I digress… thanks for linking up with #CookBlogShare x
Haha – snap!! I also had a crush on Jude Law and watched Talented Mr Ripley A LOT!! Though none of that was the reason I went to Italy. It was a wonderful adventure, though, and the food was amazing!! Have to say – India sounds pretty good too 🙂 Eb x
I wish I had stayed with a family when I studied in Italy! Oh the cooking tips I could have learned! This looks perfect for fall!
I wish I’d paid more attention to the cooking. These days I’d be there with my little notebook asking all sorts of annoying questions! It is a lovely recipe for this time of the year – thanks for your kind comments. 🙂 Eb x
With the potato and the pasta in it this sounds like a lovely filling meal for this time of year! I also have some recipes that I used to make regularly but I just don’t have time to make very often these days. My poor husband keeps asking me to make certain things again and he often has to wait a few weeks before I get around to it!
Haha – such is the way with blogging I think! We used to have this recipe every week, now we are lucky to have it once a month!! Thanks for your kind comments 🙂 Eb x
Delicious and perfect for autumn days. Look hearty bean stews and soups – no need for meat and full of flavour. #cookblogshare
Me too – hearty bean stews and soups are fab and so quick and easy to make! Thanks for your kind comments 🙂 Eb x
Delicious and the perfect recipe for this autumnal weather we’re experiencing! This is comfort food at its finest! x #cookblogshare
I am such a fan of autumn food, Nathalie – can’t get enough of it! Definitely my favourite season 🙂 Thanks for your kind comments. Eb x
Wow! That really is simple and it sounds absolutely delicious. Six weeks learning Italian in Italy sounds like an absolutely amazing experience, I’m feeling quite jealous 🙂
It was an incredible experience. I loved every part of it…but especially the food! I really wish I had paid more attention at the time, though – I would be scribbling away furiously in a little notebook and asking a million questions if it was now!! Thanks for your kind comments 🙂 Eb x
Yummy! This looks like the perfect recipe for all of this cold weather! Saving it to make another time for sure!
Thanks Cliona 🙂 Ooh yes it’s a fab one to warm you up on a chilly evening. Eb x
Mmmmm Eb this looks and sounds so good! It would go down a treat here! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Thanks Kirsty 🙂
Mmmm, I love this Eb. The colours, the ease, the taste! Defo pinning for later. I had no idea that Italian families would eat pasta as a starter (though i’m aware that the way they make and dress pizza is far different to how we do it here), I can’t imagine having bowl of this and then following it with a main meal! Yikes I’d certainly need to loosen my belt!
Angela x
Thanks Angela! Yes, I had read about the pasta for starter thing before I went to Italy, but I wondered if it was perhaps just something the books say and isn’t really true. But, no, every day we would have pasta (or occasionally rice) first and the meat/fish plus veggies or salad was the main course. The portion of pasta was quite small though, and we never had a typical stodgy British pudding afterwards – just fruit or cheese, so that made a big difference. Pizza, as far as I am aware, is more of a snack food, or something you’d have out rather than a lunch or dinner thing like we might have here. Eb x
Gosh, that does look good, and so filling too! And perfect for the cooler weather.
I’m loving the comments about having pasta as a starter; the first time I went to a British friend’s home for dinner, I was utterly daunted by the huge plate of pasta she put in front of me (spag bol – it was the early ’80s, ha ha!) … until I realised that it was the main course, and that I was not going to be expected to eat until I burst!
With vegetarianism and veganism on the rise in Italy, it’s not at all unusual now for people to have pasta as a main, and just skip the secondo altogether. And of course, not everyone has time now to spend ages cooking and eating, which is such a shame.
That said, last year when I was living just outside Napoli, at my go-to trattoria, many of the locals would go out for dinner around 21:30h (after la passeggiata, of course!), and have the full works. Naturally, there was not an overweight person among them! (Although rather horribly, almost everyone smokes, especially in Pozzuoli.) I saw the same in parts of Genova too… in fact outside SE Asia, I’ve never seen anyone eat as much, and still stay slim!
I don’t see that way of eating much in Venexia though – at least, not in the eateries I go to when I’m home for a visit, it might be different in the more touristy areas.
When you were in Firenze, Eb, did you ever have mostarda? **barf**
#cookblogshare
Thanks Nico 🙂 I love learning about how different countries and cultures eat…so fascinating. Interesting how pasta has become a main course dish in Italy too now. Not surprising given how busy life has got. The Mamma in my family very traditional and consequently spend almost all day in the kitchen, I’m not sure many women would want to do that these days! I wasn’t usually there for lunch but I seem to recollect it was the full works for lunch AND dinner!! No I didn’t have mostarda. I’ve just googled it – sounds bizzare!! Thanks for your lovely long comment 🙂 Eb x