Bean Soup Veneto-Style-Pasta E Fagioli Alla Veneta

This is pasta e fagioli the way they make it in the Veneto, and it’s a far cry from the Americanized versions you’ll find at chain restaurants.

Dried pinto beans simmer with prosciutto rind, carrot, celery, and onion in beef (or veal) broth until creamy and tender.

A separate rosemary-infused olive oil gets built into a roux with garlic, parsley, flour, and tomato paste, then stirred back into the beans for a depth of flavor that’s layered and complex.

One-third of the beans get pureed to thicken the broth into something velvety, then small pasta or arborio rice goes in to cook right in the pot.

A final stir of olive oil and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano makes every bowl feel like a warm embrace from an Italian nonna.

Pro Tips

• Fry the rosemary sprig in olive oil until fragrant and lightly browned, then discard it. The oil keeps that piney, herbal flavor without any woody bits in the soup.
• Use prosciutto rind if you can get it from a deli counter. It melts slowly into the broth and adds incredible savory richness for almost no cost.
• Puree exactly one-third of the bean mixture. This is the trick that gives pasta e fagioli its signature creamy-yet-chunky body.
• Stir the Parmesan in at the very end, off the heat. It melts into the broth and adds a salty, nutty finish.