Pasta e fagioli: Italian bean and pasta stew

A thick, comforting Italian peasant dish of creamy beans and little pasta in a rosemary-scented tomato broth. Part of the beans are mashed so it eats like a hearty stew.

Ingredients

• 45 ml Olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
• 1 Onions, finely chopped
• 150 g Carrots, finely chopped
• 0.3 Celery, 2 sticks, finely chopped
• 0.2 Garlic, 3 cloves, sliced
• 2 g Dried thyme
• 1 g Dried chilli flakes, optional
• 30 g Tomato purée
• 400 g Chopped tomatoes
• 1200 g Cannellini beans, 3 tins, drained
• 2 Vegetable stock cubes, made up to 1.2 litres
• 0.5 g Bay leaves, 2 leaves
• 200 g Macaroni
• 150 g Spinach
• 3 g Salt
• 1 g Black pepper
• 15 g Fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 Ciabatta

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently cook the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt until soft and sweet.
2. Stir in the garlic, thyme and chilli flakes (if using) for a minute, then the tomato purée.
3. Add the tomatoes, beans, stock and bay. Simmer, then scoop out about a third of the beans, mash them to a paste and stir them back in to thicken.
4. Add the macaroni and simmer, stirring often so it doesn't stick, until tender. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick; it should be spoonable, not soupy.
5. Take out the bay, stir in the spinach until wilted and season well. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
6. Ladle into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, scatter with parsley and serve with bread.